Potato blight in Ireland in the 1840s caused a food shortage which saw more than one million people die.
Rothamsted Research in Harpenden used DNA techniques on samples stored by 19th Century scientists.
The research showed how the disease survived between cropping seasons. It will also help test for plant diseases in the future.
BBC News Item.
Rothamsted scientists study 170-year-old potatoes
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peter
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oldherbaceous
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Interesting, so does that mean we are due a 30 year break from blight. 
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