Potato Cyst Nematode pictures and resources

On April 19, 2006, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Health and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported the discovery of Potato Cyst Nematode in Idaho. Potato Cyst Nematode is a plant pest that can seriously affect potato yields. The pest does not enter the tuber and has had no effect on the quality of Idaho potatoes.

Potato farmer Randy Baushcer and IDSA's Lee Stacey examine a mechanical sampler brought in to check fields for PCN.

Randy's farm hand loads a soil sample bag onto the mechanical wheel sampler. Soil will be gathered in the bag, then sent to a lab for testing.

After ISDA and USDA confirmed that a sample of tare soil contained PCN, more than 20 people were dispatched to a potato field to sample for the pest. Here, a trowel is used to scoop soil into a bag. The soil is collected at equal distances, so as to cover the whole field.

Randy Bauscher shows of the mechanical wheel sampler that was used on his field near Paul, Idaho.

Side view of the mechanical wheel sampler.

A potato field that shows signs of potato cyst nematode infestation. Note the loss of yield, plant yellowing, diminished size.

Magnified look at a Potato Cyst Nematode