Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW MARCH/APRIL 2022 61 RESEARCH AND AGTECH Collaboration to address wireworm challenge FOLLOWING an upward trend in wireworm damage in potato crops throughout the UK, a new collaborative research model, launched by Fera, has set its sights on further understanding the pest. Wireworm, the larvae of click beetle, is well known to potato growers. Dr Larissa Collins, entomology R&D team leader at Fera, said the pattern of wireworm damage is changing and the industry has yet to understand why and how these damage patterns are altering. “Very little research has been done on wireworm in the UK since the interwar period, so it’s about time we look into this pest that has been causing significant damage to a wide range of crops,” she said. Fera’s new R&D model, Enigma, was launched to the industry in January, and, as an industry-funded programme, will look at finding solutions to current wireworm issues. It will focus on three main stages over a three-year period. “Initially, we need a better understanding of which species of wireworm are causing damage in which crops and the parameters that influence this. We can solve the identification problem with molecular technology,” said Larissa. “The team at Fera will build on background work to create a DNA model that can quickly identify wireworm species. “Following this, we’ll be looking at the ecology of these different species and understanding the behaviour of the pest in crops including potatoes, carrots, leeks, maize, sugar beet and cereals. We’ll also look at whether we can use frass, which is a term for insect faeces, in damaged crops to determine which species are causing the damage, and sequence wireworm gut contents to determine what they have been feeding on.” This information will allow the team to update sampling strategies and better understand which species are causing crop damage and when. Larissa said the team will also have to ascertain more information on the lifecycles of some of the species found to be causing crop damage where this information is unknown, in order to provide information on when best to target the pest for control. Once this is understood, using life history studies and temperature regimes relevant to the UK, the team will be able to develop guidelines to minimise wireworm damage. “As part of the project we will create a predictive model that will take into account soil type, temperature, geography and moisture to produce a risk assessment of certain land types for wireworm presence,” she said. “This model will be able to predict site suitability for certain crops across the UK and inform growers on which areas are at greatest risk from wireworm damage.” Enigma I is set to start this spring and run for three years. Crop sensing tech ‘addressing lack of clarity’ DEVELOPERS of Tuberscan, an above and below ground crop sensing technology, are hoping it will help growers to better understand and address crop variations. The research and development project is funded by Innovate UK’s Research and Innovation scheme in collaboration with Branston Ltd, The University of Manchester and Harper Adams University to create demonstration units. It has been developed by B-Hive Innovations. Effie Warwick-John, Project manager on TuberScan at B-Hive Innovations, said: “Potato growing is not precision agriculture so it can be challenging for growers to understand the performance of the whole crop underground. With TuberScan we are trying to address this lack of clarity.” She said the current practice of random sampling followed by data extrapolation to cover the field does not always account for variance within the crop and can lead to inaccuracies in forecasting, so the aim is to give growers more meaningful data-led insights to make better- informed management decisions based on potato size, count and variation. “When developed, TuberScan will help growers to more confidently identify areas of poor performance, when to make all-important burndown decisions, and where growers should target inputs of fertiliser or irrigation. All these choices can ultimately make or break a crop’s marketable yield,” she said. In its current iteration, the system comprises radar, GPS units and an in-field camera that surveys the field throughout the growing season. The project has utilised and adapted field-based technologies that were originally developed for the military. New app for growers and contractors A YORKSHIRE farmer has developed a cloud-based app, Ag-drive, to help growers and contractors manage their business. The app allows work to be scheduled, recorded, and invoiced, while providing traceability. It is the brainchild of Will Dunn, a third generation farmer and contractor’s son, who came up with the concept during the Covid-19 lockdown, when he witnessed some of the challenges his father Simon faced keeping track of employees and sending invoices out on time. Ag-drive launched in July 2021 and is being used by contractors and farmers in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.