A dangerous virus is threatening to force potatoes in the Moscow region to be quarantined and face a total export ban.

Russian sanitary inspectors have allegedly found contagion sites of the Andi virus in the Ramenskiy and Dmitrovskiy districts of the Moscow Region. Additional tests of sample potatoes are currently under way.

The Andi virus, which lives only inside potato bulbs, was previously detected only in Latin America. Seed potatoes are known to spread the virus.

An infected potato plant can be visually distinguished from a healthy one: it is smaller, is light or dark green in colour with a mosaic patterns of leaves. This plant sprout any potatoes.

The virus is harmless to human beings.
Source: www.russia-ic.com