Science, Space and Technology News 2024
New research maps the spread of potato blight in the USA between 1843 and 1845, uncovering the disease’s early impact and the mid-19th century’s responses to it, including theories of its cause and proposed treatments.
Credit: SciTechDaily.com Early mapping of potato blight in the USA offers insights into the disease’s initial spread and contemporary theories on its causes and remedies before reaching Europe.that was responsible for the Irish potato famine between 1845 and 1852 — in the USA between 1843 and 1845 are presented in a study published on February 15 in the journalJean Ristaino and colleagues mapped outbreaks of potato blight in North America between 1843 and 1845 by analyzing historic agricultural reports published in the USA during this period. The researchers found that the disease was first reported in 1843 in five locations in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut. By the end of 1844 the disease had spread to 107 additional locations, a further six US states and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. In 1845 the disease spread to 53 new locations, including in four additional US states and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Contemporary reports suggested that the disease led to crop losses of between 33 and 50%.Historical Perspectives on Disease Causes and Treatments The researchers also used their approach to characterize historical theories on the source of potato blight and remedies for treating the disease between 1843 and 1845. Proposed causes of the disease during this period included insects, weather conditions, poor quality potato varieties, and a fungus. In addition, the scientists identified a widely described debate in reports about whether the fungus was the cause or a consequence of the disease. Suggested treatments for the disease included calcium oxide , sulfur, copper sulfate , and salt. Infected imported potato seed tubers from locations including Nova Scotia, France, and Bogota, Colombia were suspected as sources of the disease. Together, the findings provide insight into the spread of potato blight in the USA and into public understanding of disease in the mid-19 Reference: “Reconstructing historic and modern potato late blight outbreaks using text analytics” by Ariel Saffer, Laura Tateosian, Amanda C. Saville, Yi-Peng Yang and Jean B Ristaino, 15 February 2024,SciTechDaily: Home of the best science and technology news since 1998. Keep up with the latest scitech news via email or social media. Beyond Moore’s Law: New Strategy for Developing Highly Versatile Electronics With Outstanding Performance Discovered The miniaturization of electronic components, including transistors, has hit a plateau, presenting obstacles in the production of semiconductors. Nonetheless, a group of researchers, led by…
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