Met Éireann has today (Thursday, May 12) issued a status yellow warning for potato blight across many parts of the country.
The national forecaster said that weather conditions conducive to the spread of potato blight will develop from Monday (May 16) through to Wednesday (May 18).
The warning , which applies to parts of all counties, came into effect at 3:00p.m today and will remain in place until lunchtime on Wednesday.
This is the latest in a series of blight warnings issued by the forecaster.
Earlier this week, Met Éireann issued a status yellow warning for potato blight for parts of six counties.
The national forecaster warned growers in Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, and Wexford on Monday (May 9) of a potential risk of blight spreading in early sown crops.
Blight is caused by an airborne fungus called Phytophthora Infestans. The spores germinate in humid weather, when the temperature is greater than 10°.
The first signs of the disease on potato plants are yellow spots that turn black on the leaves. Tubers can rot if the spores produced by the fungus on the leaves are washed into the soil by rain.
Met Éireann has advised potato growers that there will be opportunities for spraying over the weekend to protect their crops.
Around €5 million is spent on fungicides annually in Ireland to mitigate the impacts of the disease.