The Irish Potato Famine was caused by a strain of fungus called P. infestans HERB-1. This fungus spread up from Mexico to Mediterranean Europe to Ireland. From 1845-1852 the Irish potato crop was decimated. In 1846 three quarters of the crop was destroyed by this blight. After this especially horrid year seed potatoes where scarce so it took several years for the crop to return to former yields, especially as the fungus P. infestans did not go away until the 1970’s. The potato famine would lead many in Ireland to immigrate to the United States aboard “coffin ships” where TB, life in the slums and the Civil War awaited them.

In the 1840’s and 1850’s Ireland was forced to trade all produce with Great Britain. Because of the poor soil and poor economic conditions many of the Irish where dependent on the potato harvest to support their families. When the potato famine struck many where forced to work in Workhouses to pay off their debts.

The Irish ate potatoes for almost every meal at the time. Loss of this crop led to wide spread malnourishment which caused a number of health concerns, as well as weakened the malnourished immune systems. TB, measles, diarrhea, respiratory conditions, and cholera plagued the Irish as this famine went on. To make matters worse British health officials sent to remedy the solution encouraged the Irish to bake away the rot on the potatoes, or to make them into soups to consume the rancid food. This only led to more disease among the Irish.

Today the HERB-1 strain has gone extinct but has been replaced by the US-1 strain. Farmers in Ireland must spray their crops 12 times a year to prevent growths of P. infestans from destroying crop yields. Research is underway and a new strain of potato has recently been approved by the FDA that has been genetically modified to be resistant to the US-1 strain.