Potato Review

34 POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Good supply indications in Northern Ireland INITIAL indications in Northern Ireland are that potato markets will be well supplied this season so crop quality will be very important in ensuring successful marketing of the crop. Robin Bolton, Senior Crops Development Adviser at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in Northern Ireland said attention to detail will therefore be crucial. “Harvester set-up is key to ensuring successful harvesting. Daily samples should be taken from the harvester and hot boxed to check for any signs of bruising,” he said, stressing that if bruising is identified, further investigation can be carried out to determine the cause and settings can be adjusted to reduce the damage. “The key areas to focus on are the following. Firstly, ensure wheel track and tyres are suitable for the drill and bed width to avoid compressing the drills. Then, align the share correctly to the primary web. Also, maintain a sucient flow of soil up the primary web to ensure transfer of the potatoes onto the cleaning units,” he said. “Make sure that the haulm rollers are set correctly and set cleaning units to the least aggressive setting that will provide a sucient removal of soil and debris while minimising damage to the crop. “Moreover, don’t overfill boxes to avoid damage by forklift toes. Finally, keep the drop during the transfer from the harvester to the trailer or box to a minimum.” Robin added that quick drying of the crop, preferably by positive ventilation systems, is also important, after which the crop needs to be allowed sucient time for curing so any wounds caused during digging and grading can heal before the crop is cooled in store. “Ideally, when ventilating the crop, the air used should be within 4° of the tuber temperature. If the air used to ventilate is too warm, condensation will occur which can increase skin disease on the crop,” said Robin. “While the store is still being loaded, aim to keep the temperature of potatoes in the store within 3° of the potatoes being brought into the store and only once store loading is complete, can the final pull down of the crop to the target store temperature be completed. For this reason, it is best to plan harvesting to allow stores to be filled and sealed as quickly as possible.” Lowmain-crops in Ireland, report reveals THE Irish Farmers’ Association’s Domestic Potato Market Report has revealed that Irish main-crop potato yields may come out well below average this year. While weather conditions across Ireland have improved, growers are facing additional setbacks because of reduced yields and skin set issues. Many are faced with the problem of poor skin set with some growers stopping lifting as a result. The food service sector is also under significant pressure owing to COVID-19 restrictions. A wild way to beat the pests WAGENINGEN University & Research (WUR), in the Netherlands, is carrying out research into resistances in wild potatoes to a wide range of potato diseases and pests. The study is being commissioned by Holland Innovative Potato (HIP) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). It is geared towards an approach that makes breeding material available in which disease-free potato varieties can be developed that contribute to sustainable and circular potato production worldwide. A lot of work has been done in recent years to combat the major potato disease caused by Phytophthora by developing resistant varieties. As a result, the use of pesticides against this disease will decrease significantly in the coming years. However, less chemical crop protection, combined with more extreme temperature and precipitation di¢erences as a result of to climate change, are likely to lead to an increase in other diseases and pests caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes and insects. WUR is going to research wild potato varieties for HIP for resistance to these pathogens. Some useful wild species have already been found in an initial analysis. These resistant varieties are being further investigated by WUR and will be used by breeding companies aliated with HIP to develop new varieties. The ultimate ambition is sustainable circular cultivation through the use of disease-free varieties. WAGENINGEN University & Research (WUR), in the Netherlands, is carrying out research into resistances in wild potatoes to a wide range of potato diseases and pests. The study is being commissioned by Holland Innovative Potato (HIP) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). It is geared towards an approach that makes breeding material available in which disease-free potato varieties can be developed that contribute to sustainable and circular potato production worldwide. A lot of work has been done in recent years to combat the major potato disease caused by Phytophthora by developing resistant varieties. As a result, the use of pesticides against this disease will decrease significantly in the coming years. However, less chemical crop protection, combined with more extreme temperature and precipitation di¢erences as a result of to climate change, are likely to lead to an increase in other diseases and pests caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes and insects. WUR is going to research wild potato varieties for HIP for resistance to these pathogens. Some useful wild species have already been found in an initial analysis. These resistant varieties are being further investigated by WUR and will be used by breeding companies aliated with HIP to develop new varieties. The ultimate ambition is sustainable circular cultivation through the use of disease-free varieties. NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE