Online Training: Disease Identification
Online Training resources
This is the same poll used in the Clear the Confusion: Identifying Potato Diseases Online Training session held on 19/09/2024 with Dr Kasia Duellman (University of Idaho) and Dr Len Tesoriero (Crop Doc Consulting).
This quiz is to help you develop skills to accurately identify and name various potato diseases, distinguish between them, and understand diseases complexes, to help make informed decisions about their management and control. Please watch the recorded online training session for more information. Good luck!
About the Session
Correctly identifying and managing diseases is crucial for maintaining healthy crops and maximising yield. This online training session with Dr Kasia Duellman from the University of Idaho and local plant pathologist, Dr Len Tesoriero will equip potato growers and agronomists with the knowledge and skills to accurately identify various potato diseases, distinguish between them, and understand diseases complexes, to help make informed decisions about their management and control.
Session Details
Confusing disease names
Clarify the differences between similar sounding diseases for example, Early blight, Target spot, vs. Late blight, Silver scurf vs. Black scurf
Properly categorise disease names to avoid confusion and to help diagnose correctly for management effectiveness
2. Distinguish between diseases
Learn to differentiate between various diseases and their symptoms, and how they overlap or differ, to implement effective management practices. Some of the diseases covered include:
Common scab vs. Powdery scab,
Target spot vs. Brown spot,
blemish diseases: Black dot vs. Silver scurf and more.
3. Understanding disease complexes
Explore scenarios where multiple pathogens are involved, such as: Black dot, Verticillium, Lesion Nematode, Rhizoctonia, and Alternaria and the impact of these complexes on crop health
Recognise the primary causes of these diseases and the role of environmental triggers in disease development
This online training session is interactive, participation and questions are encouraged. It is for potato growers and agronomists, who wishes to deepen their understanding of disease identification and clarify confusing names and symptoms.
Meet the Presenters
Dr Kasia Duellman (University of Idaho)
Associate Professor & Extension Specialist — Seed Potato, University of Idado
Kasia Duellman earned her PHD in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University, her MS in Plant Pathology from University of Minnesota, and her BS in biology from Arizona State University. Since 2016, Kasia has filled the role of Extension Seed Potato Specialist at the University of Idaho. This current appointment includes both research and extension responsibilities, and her focus is management of tuber-borne potato diseases. Her experience with potatoes began in the 1990s, with peripheral roles throughout her career. For over a decade, she served as the plant diagnostician at North Dakota State University before accepting her current role. While there, she spearheaded the adoption of the more sensitive qPCR assay among seed certification agencies to test for the zero-tolerance pathogen that causes bacterial ring rot.
Kasia's research focuses on evaluating strategies for Potato virus Y management for the seed potato grower as well as monitoring resistance to fludioxonil in populations of Fusarium sambucinum and managing tuber- and soil-borne pathogens using seed and in-furrow fungicide applications.
Her extension responsibilities span all aspects of seed potato production. Her office and laboratory are based at the University of Idaho - Idaho Falls Research & Extension Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho (a short drive from Yellowstone National Park), and her field trials are conducted at the Aberdeen Research & Extension Center in Bingham County, Idaho.
Dr Len Tesoriero (Crop Doc Consulting)
After a career as a Plant Pathologist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries Len retired in 2018 and established the consulting firm, Crop Doc Consulting Pty Ltd. He also maintains a role with NSW DPIRD as a Visiting Scientist contributing to disease surveillance and mentoring younger plant pathologists. Over the past 6 years he has assisted with research on diseases of vegetables, nursery plants, almonds, pistachios and olives.
His current focus for the vegetable industries has been to assist with projects investigating causes and management of internal rot of capsicums and wilt diseases of melons as well as with grower engagement activities through the PotatoLink and Soil Wealth ICP projects.
Associated resources
PotatoLink disease poster (coming soon!)
