Even if one wanted to, the Great Famine is a part of history that is hard to forget. But for more than 200 scientists from 43 countries who met in Quito, Ecuador, last month for the first time, its cause, the fungus phytophthora infestans is still very much part of today's reality.
Indeed, similar strains of the fungus that set off the Irish 19th century tragedy have shown up in certain places for the first time in recent years; like upstate New York in the US. What's worse, this enemy you can't even see with the naked eye is changing over time, and new strains are playing global hopscotch. They've been spotted in European countries like the Netherlands - a leading exporter of potato seeds and chilled products.
When you add changing global weather patterns, shifting trade and commerce trends, and newly-created tools from biotechnology and computer-aided geography, it's no surprise that these scientists decided to form the first global initiative on late blight (the form of the disease that ravages potato fields once this fungus takes hold). It is co-ordinated by the International Potato Centre (CIP), of Lima, Peru; not far from the crop's evolutionary birthplace.
Dr George Mackay, geneticist with the Scottish Crop Institute (SCRI), said the meeting was extraordinary when compared with others of its kind, with everything from fundamental cell research to work with indigenous farmers being used to combat a shared global problem. "It was a true sharing of the minds unlike anything I've seen."
One of the posters presented was on the SCRI's efforts involving new molecular techniques to review the Commonwealth Potato Collection of 1,000 samples from the world over in search of genes for resistance to late blight.
"We thought we had found the answer in the 1960s, with the release of the variety called Pentland Dell, which contains three genes for resistance," said Dr Mackay. But the fungus overcame it within three years. This variety is now among the most popular with chips and crisps companies but it has to be heavily and systematically sprayed.
Plant pathologist Dr Louise Cooke, of the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, presented her work on the molecular aspects of the fungus, including new strains in the region and resistance to fungicides displayed by these strains. "Only a brave farmer would rely solely on resistant potatoes at this point," she said.
An integrated strategy including spraying and accurate weather forecasting would be necessary for the foreseeable future. "In any case, late blight tends to be really sneaky," she concluded.