Potato Review

12 POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS FOCUS N EXT month will mark the end of an era in the potato industry as the Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research facility closes its doors for the nal time. In September, sta were given notice of the facility’s planned closure on December 17th, and Head of Crop Storage Research, Adrian Cunnington, was tasked with pulling together an inventory in preparation for its sale. Adrian has worked at Sutton Bridge CSR since the mid-1980s. He has been in charge at the Sutton Bridge site for over 30 years, overseeing the research team and, as a BASIS-quali ed trainer, delivering advice to producers and suppliers. He said he was sad that the service could not be retained. “ ere will be a signi cant loss of capability for supporting the industry when Sutton Bridge closes,” he said. “We were making good progress, so it is certainly frustrating that that is being lost at a point when the industry needed us most. Fortunately, the results of our work to date will still be available on the AHDB’s legacy website. However, nothing new will be added to it from now on.” Initial reasons given for the closure were lack of funding and a desire to future proof research by getting other organisations involved, said Adrian. To date, there has been no take-up from trade associations or the private sector, but it is still hoped there will be interest in carrying on the work achieved at the facility over the years. Since 1964, Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research (SBCSR), in one form or another, has strived to improve the quality of potatoes from storage, seeking to gain a better understanding of the storage process that so many in the industry rely on for marketing their crops successfully. A major focus has always been to ensure knowledge exchange of the latest R&D ndings to keep the industry up to date, relevant and most of all cost-e ective. From field to store e site started as Sutton Bridge Experimental Station run by the Potato Marketing Board. In the 1960s, the challenge was to be able to store potatoes in buildings rather than eld clamps. is moved on to gaining better control of the in-building environment through the use of ventilation systems and post-harvest chemical treatments in large-scale commercial trials. en, in the early 1980s, the research spotlight moved to achieving more precision in the storage regimes. MAFF (now Defra) funded the task of cracking the challenge of maintaining fry colour on a portfolio of varieties ranging from Record for crisping to Pentland Dell and Maris Piper for chipping. Much was learned about the problems of cold temperature and senescent sweetening. Use of chemicals was also commonplace with products such as thiabendazole, tecnazene and CIPC widely employed for disease and sprout control. Work under the PMB continued through into the 1990s with new stores built in 1992 End of an era “We were making good progress, so it is certainly frustrating that that is being lost at a point when the industry needed us most.” Adrian Cunnington, Head of Crop Storage Research Much good work into anti-sprouting has been carried out in the purpose-built chambers at the facility. Rob Clayton, AHDB Potatoes’ Strategy Director Adrian Cunnington, Head of Crop Storage Research As Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research prepares to close its doors for good, Stephanie Cornwall takes a look at its history and achievements over almost six decades.