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WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 35 Potato plants are highly sensitive to over- and under-irrigation. Small deviations in water availability can decrease yields. Choose Nelson products for maximum uniformity of water application. nelsonirrigation.com — 1.509.525.7660 Pivot Point Control Valves: Air Control, 800 & 1000 Series Pivot Sprinklers & Regulators: R3030 Rotator ® with Brown Plate End of Pivot Solutions: R55VT, SR100 Big Gun ® & 800P Ask your Nelson dealer about the Big Gun ® rebuild program. FAM-1, but rather a sister lineage," says Ristaino. "We found US-1 in 27 percent of samples in the study, and they were found much later." US-1 has since been elbowed out of the U.S. by even more aggressive strains of the pathogen that originated in Mexico. Winter tomato crops grown in Mexico and imported into the U.S. harbor the pathogen, Ristaino says. The study also suggests that the pathogen spread first in potatoes and then later jumped into tomatoes. Ristaino says spread of the pathogen in ripe tomatoes in ships' holds would have been unlikely. The pathogen's effects aren't limited to the decimation of Ireland's potato crop some 175 years ago. Billions are spent worldwide each year in attempts to control the pathogen. Potatoes in the developing world are particularly vul- nerable as fungicides are less available and often unaffordable. Funding for this research was provid- ed by the USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (Grant 5197-NC- SU-USDA-3179 and Grant 2011-68004- 30154) and by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service. Jean Ristaino is a professor in the Entomol- ogy & Plant Pathology Department at North Carolina State University. NCSU's Ristaino Lab focuses particularly on the epidemiology and population genetics of oomycete plant pathogens. She can be reached at jbr@ncsu.edu. Amanda Saville is a research and labora- tory specialist at the Ristaino Lab, and can be contacted at acsavill@ncsu.edu. The FAM-1 strain of P. infestans has been detected on all six continents where potatoes are grown. Researchers hope that by determining and understanding the historical path of P. infestans, the potato industry can significantly reduce outbreaks of late blight like this one in Uganda.