Potato farmer experiments with mineral oil on crops

ASHTON, Idaho — An eastern Idaho farmer says he’s experimenting with mineral oil on his potato crops as a cheaper alternative to limit the transmission of diseases spread by aphids.

Clen Atchley sprayed mineral oil over 130 acres over his potato fields in Hawaii earlier this year, The Capital Press reported. He says that he’ll begin using the oil on his fields in Idaho if the crops harbor fewer viruses than his other seed fields.

Atchley added that he spent $5 an acre on the product after talking to experts at a National Potato Council annual meeting over the summer. Before, he was aerially applying fungicide every 10 days to control blight. However, the oil has been used in conjunction with his usual insecticide use.

“If we wind up with considerably less virus, (mineral oil) will be something we use more of for sure,” Atchley said

Mineral oil use may be new to many states across the United States, but the practice has been gaining traction in Montana.

Nina Zidack, Montana’s seed potato certification director, says farmers have been using mineral oil for multiple generation crops.

Montana State University plant pathologist Barry Jacobsen has assisted in mineral oil trials. He says the oil blocks certain aphid-vectored diseases — such as potato virus Y — from being transmitted from an insect to a leaf. The oil remains on the leaf long after it dries, giving the plant extra protection.

“If I had to pick something you’re going to spray, oil is by far the best thing,” Jacobsen said.