Internet potato-blight warning service BlightWatch starts its fourth year when it goes live on-line again in time for the 2004 crop year in mid-April.

The website is free of charge for growers and observers and gives up-to-the-minute local blight forecasting and weather information.

"BlightWatch includes a daily update on Smith periods, supplemented by regular disease reports and agronomy advice as well as historic daily records of the local situation," said Jo Palmer, website editor. "Using sophisticated computer modelling and interpolation of live Met Office weather records from more than 200 meteorological stations across the UK, BlightWatch calculates Smith periods and Near Smith periods down to individual postcode levels..It gives the highest possible accuracy down to a local level and…this year the service has been improved further to include a weekly graphical representation of the UK showing where Smith periods and Near Smith periods have been recorded on a national basis."

Those who register at the site www.potatocrop.com are sent warnings daily via e-mail or SMS text message. And the BlightWatch website can be used with the British Potato Council’s Fight against Blight site so users of both services receive notification of blight outbreaks reported by BPC scouts as well as local information on crop development and weather conditions on national mapping systems.

Site users can view data on the website for up to 10 selected areas across the UK including Northern Ireland.

"The BlightWatch service in 2003proved to be an unqualified success with many more e-mail alerts and text messages being sent to growers and advisers than the previous year," said Palmer. "…Overall growers were successful in maintaining effective spray programmes and this undoubtedly dampened down the threat of a more widespread epidemic."

To register this year, log on now at www.potatocrop.com