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Nearly two decades after pale cyst nematode (PCN) was discovered in eastern Idaho, officials have eliminated it from a once-infested farm field. Having passed the testing requirements of a PCN eradication program, the 118-acre field has been deregulated and is once again eligible for potato production.
PCN was first identified in Idaho in 2006. After testing associated fields in the area, the USDA contained PCN to an 8.5-mile radius in eastern Idaho. It remains the sole location in the U.S. where the pest has been confirmed. Currently, 6,315 acres are regulated under the PCN program.
To be deregulated, an infested field must pass a three-part test. The first step entails confirming that no cysts sampled from the field contain viable eggs. The next involves growing potted potato plants with soil harboring cysts. The greenhouse test takes 16 weeks and is repeated three times over a year and a half to confirm that no cysts are stimulated to reproduce. The final test is conducted in the field, where the grower must raise three seasons of crops planted in a susceptible potato variety, followed by testing to confirm no cysts with viable eggs have surfaced.