Any idea what this is? The photos are of potato leaves. Some of our plot holders have noticed that this is happening to potatoes that are growing in ground that was manured at the end of last season. It is mainly affecting top growth. Please help out by posting suggestions in the comments area. Hope that it isn't a virus!
I have just read some rather disturbing information. Apparently the problem could be caused by herbicide residue in the manure that was used. If this is the case when manure is applied to gardens etc. the herbicide is still active and severely affects plant growth in potatoes, tomatoes, beans and peas - in fact most things other than wheat and sweet corn. Some articles report that the residue can remain in the soil for 2 years. Apparently the problems is that the herbicide may be used by the supplier of the straw bedding so the farmer/stable owner supplying the manure may know nothing about its use. I'm trying to follow this up to find more information and sort out whether this is the problem on our site or not. Hope that it is just a scare!
ReplyDeleteIf you have had a problem after applying manure or any further information on this 'story' please post a comment.
We are having the same problems. In our case it appears to be associated with hay coming from New York State and Canada where a herbicide to control certain weeds is being applied. There is a British online posting that addresses the problem. We've have to use "new ground" to plant a second garden
ReplyDeleteWe now know the problem is affecting many parts of the UK so it is interesting to see that the problem is not confined to the UK. If you (Anonymous) could email me (use the link on the sidebar) to describe how this is affecting the USA and/or Canada and how it is being dealt with at government level I would be really interested.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else in other parts of the world having the same problem?
See our iformation on the web http://www.glallotments.btik.com/p_Contaminated_Manure.ikml
July 03, 2008