The James Hutton Institute (Scotland) has confirmed the extension of funding for the ‘Fight Against Blight’ (FAB) scheme (https://blight.hutton.ac.uk/BlightReport) for the 2024 season, ensuring the continued protection of Britain’s potato crops against late blight (https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/PHYTIN/photos). This initiative, vital for the agricultural sector, is supported by a consortium of key industry partners.
Since its inception in 2006, the FAB scheme has played a critical role in monitoring Phytophthora infestans populations through a network of agronomists, growers, and industry representatives known as FAB Scouts. Each year, these scouts submit up to 1,500 field samples from suspected late blight outbreaks across Britain. The data collected helps in the rapid identification of pathogen genotypes and informs best practices for blight management.
Dr. David Cooke and Dr. Alison Lees from The James Hutton Institute lead this effort, which includes the annual sampling of outbreaks, monitoring surveys, and conducting fungicide sensitivity testing on prioritized active substances. Dr. Cooke emphasized the importance of early detection of new genotypes, especially in light of recent concerns about resistance to key fungicides. “The continuation of FAB is great news for growers and the sector more widely, and also for the longer-term research effort that supports this area,” he said.
This year’s wet winter conditions and unharvested crops have exacerbated the risk of blight, with early reports of outbreaks in Jersey and Kent. Additionally, the discovery of genotype EU43 in Ireland in 2023 has raised concerns about its potential spread to GB crops. The FAB scheme’s testing capabilities are crucial for managing these threats and keeping the potato industry informed.
Dr. Jonathan Snape, Director of James Hutton Limited, highlighted the indispensable support from industry leaders that makes the continuation of the FAB scheme possible. He expressed gratitude to sponsors such as Certis Belchim, UPL Ltd, BASF, Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and many others for their contributions.
Ed Bingham, Global Crop Manager at Certis Belchim, and Antonia Walker of UPL Ltd, both platinum sponsors, reiterated their commitment to supporting the FAB project. They emphasized the scheme’s importance in providing timely information on new blight strains and helping to develop effective field strategies.
Registered FAB Scouts have already received their sampling packs, and the FAB website, accessible at [blight.hutton.ac.uk](https://blight.hutton.ac.uk/), provides a record of all outbreaks since 2017. The continued success of the FAB scheme relies on the support of the wider industry. Interested parties are encouraged to become scouts or sponsors by contacting fab@hutton.ac.uk.
This collaboration between industry partners and researchers exemplifies the effective cross-sector effort necessary to control late blight and protect the potato industry in the UK.
