Met Éireann has today (Wednesday, July 31) issued a Status Yellow advisory for potato blight which will be in place over the coming days.
The national meteorological service said that from Thursday morning (August 1) to Friday evening (August 2), weather conditions conductive to the spread of potato blight will affect coastal counties in the west and southwest of the country.
From Sunday night (August 4) to Tuesday afternoon (August 6), these conditions favourable to blight will affect much of the country.
Met Éireann said that there will be spraying opportunities for growers today and at times tomorrow.
Potato blight is a disease caused by a fungus-like organism called Phytophthora infestans that spreads rapidly through the foliage and tubers of potatoes in warm, wet weather, causing collapse and decay.
Despite advances in fungicides, varieties and forecasting, there is still no means of eradicating an outbreak of blight in a potato crop, meaning that prevention is key.
According to Teagasc, €5 million is spent annually on fungicides in Ireland to mitigate against the disease.
Met Éireann
Meanwhile, Met Éireann has said that dry weather will remain for the rest of today and tomorrow before more unsettled conditions develop.
Rainfall amounts will likely range between 5 and 25mm for the south-east of the country, generally ranging 15 to 60mm elsewhere and possibly higher in parts of the far west.
It will be warm until cooler air arrives from the west on Friday, with temperatures then fluctuating between above and below normal temperatures for the following days.
There will be good drying conditions today and at times tomorrow, but conditions will become poor or intermittent from Friday onwards as the weather become more unsettled.