USDA seeks potato pest in Nebraska, 7 other states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is worried that seed potato shipments from Canada to eight states might have been carrying the golden potato cyst nematodes, microscopic, wormlike pests that attack potato plants. The nematodes feed at the roots of potato plants and can reduce crop production by 80 percent. The department has banned additional shipments into the U.S. and plans to search for the nematode in fields in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, North Dakota, Colorado, Maine, and Nebraska. U.S. officials are concerned that discovery of the golden nematode in any of the eight states could lead to some countries banning U.S. potatoes, which happened in 2006 with the discovery of the similar pale potato cyst nematode in Idaho.

Source: http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2007/12/12/ap-state-ne/d8tft1mo1.txt