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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Soil testing has confirmed the presence of a quarantined potato pest has been found in an additional field in Eastern Idaho.
The 150-acre field was added to the pale cyst nematode eradication program on Dec. 21, bringing the total number of regulated fields to 27, reported The Capital Press (http://bit.ly/2jkpmI0 ). The infested fields are managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Pale Cyst Nematode Program.
"Trace work is ongoing to identify and regulate any additional fields that may have been exposed to soil from this recently detected infested field," said program director Tina Gresham in a press release.
Gresham said the field was already under special regulations and soil samples were being taken because it was known to be associated with an infested field.
PCN is a microscopic parasite that can reduce potato yields by up to 80 percent. It was first discovered in Idaho in 2006 and has been found in a roughly 5-square-mile area of Bonneville and Bingham counties. Officials have been working to eradicate the pest, which could lead to trade problems if left unchecked.
The PCN Program currently contains 9,540 acres of regulated fields, and more than 3,000 acres are considered infested.
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Information from: The Capital Press (Ore.), http://www.capitalpress.com/washington
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