Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 5 NEWS RELOCATION FOLLOWSMAJOR RESEARCH FUNDING AGRI-TECH company B-hive Innovations has relocated to a new research and development premises to bolster its operations in the fresh produce industry. This follows major Innovate UK and DEFRA-backed funding into work that will sustainably change the way potatoes are grown, stored and transported. B-hive has relocated within the Lincoln Science & Innovation Park to the new Alchemy Building – a dedicated facility for R&D specialist occupiers that has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund and regional partnership body, the Midlands Engine. The Alchemy Building, part of the continual development of the Science Park, is a stone’s throw from B-hive’s previous oces at Boole Technology Centre, where the company was launched in 2017. In September, B-hive, along with several commercial and academic partners, was awarded £2.06m by The Farming Innovation Programme, to investigate new methods that will contribute towards a net zero carbon supply chain for potato crop. As part of its expansion, B-hive has made 12 recent appointments across its departments. Turn to the ‘Appointments’ section on page 36 for more details. Late blight help for Irish growers CORTEVA Agriscience’s chemistry, oxathiopiprolin, a product for the prevention of late blight in potatoes, is now available for Irish growers in a new formulated product, Zorvec Entecta. Zorvec Entecta is a liquid formulation combining the Zorvec active (oxathiopiprolin) with amisulbrom in a one-litre bottle, providing protection from late blight for up to 10 days after application. Corteva launched the Zorvec active in 2018 and it was originally sold in co-packs. More recently, it was available in co-from with benthiovalicarb as Zorvec Endavia. Since then it has played a significant role in evolving blight strategies, owing to its robust preventative activity and the ability to stretch intervals to 10 days between applications. As well as tackling late blight present in the plant, it moves systemically to protect new growth. Category Manager for Potatoes at Corteva, Alister McRobbie, said Irish growers will benefit from access to the new product in 2023, as data from the James Hutton institute shows blight strains found in UK and Ireland continue to evolve. The 6 A1 strain continues to account for a significant proportion of the population, although it is being steadily displaced by the more aggressive 36 A2 strain in the UK. “We are seeing no let-up in the challenge facing growers, who will continue to need e§ective chemistry that allows them to create programmes that fight disease and counter the threat of resistance,” Alister said. Farmers can apply Zorvec Entecta at 0.25l/ha up to four times during a season. In order to get the most from the product, growers should consider making two applications during the rapid growth phase, making best use of its curative, preventative and systemic activity. Retaining a further two applications for the latter half of the programme at the stable canopy phase of the crop. These should be timed to tackle increases in the late blight threat as indicated by forecasting systems. German company takes shares in British bioscience provider HOWDEN-based Unium Bioscience Ltd, which provides biological seed and crop treatments for potatoes, is hoping to make its existing and future products available more readily available to more growers after announcing that German company HELM has become a shareholder. The companies state that joining forces will enable them to combine skills, resources and pipeline development so that they can bring sustainable solutions to market more quickly. Unium is a scientific company specialising in biologicals, biostimulants, specialty fertiliser and alternative crop protection while HELM, based in Hamburg, Germany, is a family-owned company established in 1900 and one of the world’s largest chemicals marketing companies The Unium products will now be marketed to both companies’ customers. Executive Vice President Crop Protection at HELM , Michael Kuhlmann, said: “We have always valued working with innovative companies. In the past we mostly focused on classic plant protection. Now is the time to invest equally in alternative solutions.” John Haywood of Unium (pictured) said: “Combining tools with HELM will create synergies, addressing future global supply needs and will bring value to the market, distributors and growers.” Alister McRobbie, Category Manager for Potatoes at Corteva.