Alaska potato guide published in English and Russian
August 17, 2012
Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
8/17/12The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service will host trainings
in Palmer and Delta Junction this month on how to use a new potato pest field guide
written in English and in Russian.The Palmer training will run from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Alaska Plant Materials Center and a second training will be offered from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Delta Career Advancement Center.
The University of Idaho Extension recently published the “Alaska Field Guide to Potato Pests and Beneficial Insects in English and Russian." The guide is an Alaska version of an Idaho guide.
Janice Chumley, an Extension research technician from Soldotna, coordinated work on the pocket-sized color field guide, which was developed for commercial potato growers and field workers to assist with identification of pests and for field monitoring.
Information is provided in Russian and English because a significant number of the farm labor force speaks Russian, particularly in Delta Junction and on the Kenai Peninsula.
Contributors to the guide included Chumley, agronomist Bill Campbell of the Alaska Plant Materials Center and Jeff Smeenk, Extension horticulture specialist.
Training instructors will include Chumley; Pam Hutchinson, a weed specialist from the University of Idaho who specializes in potatoes; and Kenai agriculture and horticulture agent Lydia Clayton.
A National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant supported development of the guide. A limited number of free copies will be available soon at Extension district offices in Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Palmer and Soldotna. Additional copies may be ordered through the University of Idaho Extension for $10.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Janice Chumley, integrated pest management research technician, at 907-262-5824 or via e-mail at jichumley@alaska.edu.
DSC/8-17-2012/049-13