At the certified seed potato grower's meeting held Oct. 25, Idaho growers approved a measure that will require ELISA testing for mosaic of all seed lots in the post-harvest test. All lots will be grown out under field conditions in California and 100 percent of the emerged plants will be leaf sampled and ELISA tested for mosaic. Visual row inspections will be conducted for all factors other than mosaic. This combination of visual inspection and ELISA testing will be the basis for determination of recertification eligibility for each lot.
This change also affects recertification eligibility of lots imported into Idaho from other states and provinces.
To be eligible for recertification in Idaho, imported lots must have either been grown out and ELISA tested, or have had sprouted tubers ELISA tested. In either case, the maximum virus allowed to be eligible for recertification is:
Potato Leafroll Virus: 0.8 percent
Mosaic: 2 percent