World Potato Congress 2024 Coverage 29 May 2024 View Continent Reports from WPC2024View Presentations from WPC2024View Technical Posters from WPC2024View Video Presentations from WPC2024 News coverage of WPC2024Beddington calls for 'climate smart farming'The government's chief scientist delivered what he called a 'gloomy, frightening but optimistic' presentation of the world's food and natural resource challenges at the opening of the World Potato Congress in Edinburgh this morning.Source: NFUPepsiCo turns to new varietiesEighty per cent of the potatoes used by PepsiCo in 2017 will be new varieties.Source: NFUPotato has 'massive' global rolePotatoes can no longer be referred to as 'the humble spud' because…

Raising issues awareness at Winter Forums 18 January 2024 Input losses can cause inadvertent pollution and can affect growers’ profit margins, says Nigel Simpson, project manager for Catchment Sensitive Farming, who will be speaking at this year’s Winter Forums. These will take place on January 25 at Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research and February 16 at Harper Adams University College.  Nigel believes that many growers are unaware of the consequences of individual field soil compaction and the resulting water uptake problems that can affect yield and tuber quality.  “With Cambridge University Farm’s research showing compaction causes up to ten per cent loss…

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) consultation 7 September 2024 The 1991 EU Nitrates Directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC) was adopted with the purpose of reducing the amount of nitrate pollution caused by agriculture. It requires DEFRA to designate land draining to polluted water as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) (or to designate all of England), and then to set out certain farming practices that farmers within those NVZs must comply with (known as the “action programme”). DEFRA must review both designations and action programme every four years, and revise them as necessary in the light of the evidence thrown up by the review.Defra…

Best practice for seed handling and storage Share Publication Date: 5 March 2025 It is vital that seed is handled and stored appropriately after delivery and before planting to retain maximum vigour and to ensure the best possible crop. Publication upload:  Download: Best practice for seed handling and storage Only logged in users can vote. Click on a star rating to show your choice, please note you can only vote once. Rating:  5 Average: 5 (1 vote)

The IndustrySupply Chain 3 March 2023 Grower numbersAs the industry rationalises, the number of growers continues to shrink but long term production levels remain relatively stable and turnover per grower is now around £270,000, versus £27,000 in 1970 (adjusted for inflation to a 2021 £ basis).Approximately 2500 growers manage 23,700 potato fields (registered growers are 3ha or more) with an average field size above 5 hectares.Main-crop varieties account for almost two-thirds of the area grown and yields have nearly doubled from just under 23t/ha in1960 to over 45t/ha in 2021 in spite of the recent apparent plateau. This reflects the…

British Mini-tubers Approved By China 11 July 2023 Following the signing of a protocol for the export of British mini-tubers to China in Beijing on 24th October 2006 four British producers have now been approved to commence exports this season.The four companies, Gentech Propagation Ltd, ProSeed International Ltd, TLC Potatoes Ltd and MBMG Scotland underwent a rigorous inspection of their facilities by two inspectors from the Chinese plant quarantine agency AQSIQ in June 2007.These inspectors were invited to the UK by the Scottish Government on a mission funded by the British Food First. Representatives from both organisations are delighted with…

Reduce blackleg risk in seed 18 January 2024 Growers should take suitable measures this season to minimise the chances of blackleg infections in the field this coming season, warns Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research plant pathologist Dr Glyn Harper.  The previous wet autumn in Scotland and the north of England produced favourable conditions for blackleg disease development with a consequent high risk of disease in harvested seed crops, so Glyn recommends growers take particular care with susceptible varieties and offers the following advice: Seed health:Assess the seed immediately it arrives to confirm the overall quality of the seed is as expected. Blackleg…

114R478 Biofumigation for Pest Control Share Publication Date: 1 August 2014 Author/Contact : Author/Contact: Peter Urwin Contractor : Contractor: University of Leeds Full Research Project Title: Establishing biofumigation as a sustainable replacement to pesticides for control of soil-borne pests and pathogens of potato and horticultural cropsDuration: March 2014 - February 2018 Background Soil-borne pests and pathogens, including many nematode and fungal species, are major constraints to profitable crop production in the UK. The problem will be exacerbated in the immediate future by removal of approved chemical control strategies. New approaches are required that have broad efficacy and are suitable for use on a…

SeedGlyphosate Communications 7 July 2023 Food First has produced a new leaflet and sticker set warning against the possibility of contamination to seed potato crops from Glyphosate and giving advice to farm businesses and sprayer operators on the safe application of Glyphosate.The leaflet provides comprehensive advice on the possibilities of seed potato contamination from Glyphosate, even at very low levels. And the sticker is designed to be placed in-cab or similar for spray operators as a clear reminder to spray Glyphosate very carefully near vulnerable seed potato crops.Seed growers are encouraged to circulate the leaflet and sticker around neighbours to help…

Comparative efficacy of available and new blight fungicide active ingredients in GB Share Publication Date: 16 August 2023 Publication upload:  20057 Blight second year trials June 05 R242.pdf Only logged in users can vote. Click on a star rating to show your choice, please note you can only vote once. Rating:  0 No votes yet