No-nonsense, no-frills potato news stories from around the world
The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the Korean Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA) recently held a media briefing on “Progress and Future Plans for Seed Potato Production through Aeroponics Technology.” The project aims to achieve higher productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, promote farm-level processing, develop human resources, and create significant job opportunities through an Aeroponic Potato Seed Production System.
In an effort to increase potato production in the Philippines, the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 2 (DA-RFO 2) has distributed free potato seed tubers to farmers in Nueva Vizcaya. The seed tubers were imported from Canada and have been certified disease-free. This initiative is expected to improve the livelihoods of local farmers and enhance the region’s potato industry.
A P.E.I. Potato Board application for a judicial review of federal government restrictions prohibiting the export of seed potatoes is scheduled to be heard in Federal Court later this week, as Arturo Chang reports for CBC News. The application asks the court to set aside several ongoing government decisions prohibiting the movement of P.E.I. seed potatoes to other markets since late 2021.
Chemistry is fast disappearing from farming’s toolbox, but researchers and farmers are working together to trial and demonstrate alternative solutions to protect the high health status of Scotland’s seed potato industry, as Ken Fletcher, editor of The Scottish Farmer reports in this news story. Scottish Agronomy has been working with Jim Reid, of Milton of Mathers Farm, near St Cyrus, who has been involved with seed potato trials for over a decade.
Great news for potato producers! 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (1,4-DMN), a naturally occurring bio-control that enhances dormancy, controls spouting and encourages field-fresh quality in stored potatoes, is scheduled for review and regulatory approval under the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture (FAO)’s Codex Alimentarius. The review process will take place during 2023.
Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, announced the opening of the 2023 Scheme of Investment Aid for the Seed Potato and Chipping Potato Sector today. In addition to providing support for the seed potato sector, the scheme has been expanded in 2023 to include growers of Irish chipping potatoes.
On 27 February, the European Commission and the UK Government reached a political agreement in principle on the so-called Windsor Framework. Europatat says it welcomes this positive development and “we hope for a swift implementation of the new Framework”.
Senselet Food Processing PLC (Senselet), PepsiCo’s Ethiopia-based foods unit, has teamed up with Dutch hybrid potato innovator Solynta to bring hybrid true potato seeds (HTPS) to Ethiopia, as Zachary Sosland reports for Baking Business. PepsiCo already has invested $40 million in Ethiopian potato chip production, and this new partnership makes it the leading Ethiopian potato processing company.
On Monday 27 February 2023, potato breeder HZPC celebrated its 125th anniversary. For HZPC, this was a day with an extra golden edge. Dr. A.A.M. Brok, Commissioner of the King of the Province of Friesland, also presented HZPC with the certificate for the predicate “Royal” on Monday afternoon in Joure. With the predicate Royal, HZPC has now become “Royal HZPC Group”, including the subsidiaries STET, HZPC, and ZOS.
Seed potato growers who destroyed their crops last year because borders were closed to their sale are hopeful promised compensation from the federal government could come this month, as Kevin Yarr reports for CBC News. “The government has made a commitment to provide compensation to those seed producers,” said Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board.
Seed potato growers attending the conference were urged not to ‘sit on the fence’, or ‘play wait and see’, before they joined the independent grower-led membership body, the Seed Potato Organisation (SPO). Dr Philip Burgess, of Scottishpotatoes.org, told the conference: “The organisation needs your support – so don’t put off and sit on the fence – or we might soon find that we’ve no fence to sit on!”
Members of the Pre Basic Growers Association (PBGA) recently visited southern Spain to look at the country’s potato production and help maintain a strong relationship with the Spanish industry. During the visit, the group of 25 Scottish seed potato growers said the need for Scottish seed was highlighted by David Sanchez of local company Pepsur.
Solynta, hybrid potato breeding technology company from The Netherlands and FreshCrop Limited, Kenya’s largest producer of seed tubers, have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of hybrid true potato innovation in Kenya. By joining forces, the companies will work closely to facilitate future introduction of high quality hybrid potato seed tubers produced from hybrid true potato seeds.
It’s common for farmers to study climatological patterns for planting and harvesting. But as one of the only mail-order seed potato shippers in the country that ships 10 months a year, Wood Prairie Family Farm in Maine has to plot the weather to stay in business. The direct mail order farm ships about 150,000 to 200,000 pounds of certified organic seed potatoes per year.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has a new partner to improve the efficiency of seed potato production at the Starks Early Generation Seed Potato Farm in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. This fall, a group of four seed potato growers joined together into the Wisconsin Potato Coalition (WPC) to assume operations of planting, growing, and harvesting seed at the Starks Farm for crop year 2023 and beyond. The growers have decades of production and business experience between them.
Technico Agri Sciences Ltd – a wholly owned subsidiary of ITC Limited – was recently certified for a second consecutive year as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work Institute. This certification is recognized around the world by employees and employers alike, and is considered by many to be the ‘Gold Standard’ in workplace assessment.
Gordon MP Richard Thomson has given a cautious welcome to a response from DEFRA Minister of State Richard Benyon confirming the UK Government has acted on his request that it seek the same derogations for Scottish seed potatoes that allowed imports to the EU from some parts of Canada in the early 2000s.
The ban on UK seed potato exports to the EU and Northern Ireland has reached crisis point for Northern Irish potato growers who depend ”very heavily” on seed imported from Scotland, according to leading Irish potato grower-packer Wilson’s Country. Wilson’s Country CEO Angus Wilson told Northern Ireland Minister of State Steve Baker MP that the ban could severely damage the competitiveness of potato production in Northern Ireland.
The World Potato Congress Inc. is pleased to present its fifth webinar this year on November 17 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard time (USA/Canada) in English followed by the presentation in Spanish. Dr. Marcelo Huarte from Argentina will present on ‘An Autotrophic Hydroponic System (SAH)’. Dr. Huarte will compare this system with the traditional tissue culture (TC) technique, and point out the advantages of SAH over TC.
South African seed potato producer RegenZ and European hybrid potato seed innovator Solynta announced today a partnership to bring hybrid true potatoes to the South African farming community. The companies will collaborate in further trials and join forces to facilitate the introduction of Solynta’s ‘climate smart’ and disease-free genetics to the South African farmer.
For over 25 years, 1,4GROUP Inc. has dedicated itself to providing value-added customer solutions in potato storage quality management, innovative application techniques and shelf-life extension through scientifically based product development. “1,4SIGHT is the only true dormancy enhancer on the market,” says 1,4GROUP’s Global Director of Research, Development and Innovation, Bernd Frings.
A project aimed at developing new tools to predict and optimize potato plant growth by mapping the microorganisms living on seed potatoes has been awarded 940.000 Euro in funding. A promising strategy to reduce the use of these agrochemicals, is to optimize the composition of beneficial microorganisms living on the plant. These microorganisms support growth and strength, creating a natural defense mechanism for potato plants.
Gordon MP Richard Thomson has continued his campaign to restore access to the export markets in the EU and Northern Ireland for Scottish seed potatoes. Prior to Brexit, Scottish seed potatoes were a crucial import for European markets. However, since January 2021 Scotland’s farmers have been unable to export seed potatoes to the EU, including Northern Ireland, because of changes in trade regulations as a result of Brexit.
A community project that provides farmers with healthy potato seeds, cultivated using innovative laboratory techniques is significantly increasing yields in Kenya, an agricultural expert says. Kenya’s average potato yield per hectare is around ten tonnes but has the potential to increase to three times that amount with the use of disease-free seed, according to Anthony Kibe, principal investigator of a potato community action research project.
Valley Tissue Culture, Inc. is a Red River Valley business that has grown from an experimental concept in the 1980s into a multi-generational potato seed company today. The Aarestad family and their crew raise seed potatoes started in test tubes in the lab, and then grow them out in greenhouses. Valley Tissue Culture sells to 40 customers — primarily in North Dakota and Minnesota, but also in Canada, and as far as the states of Washington and Idaho.
During the recent PotatoEurope event in Germany, more than 300 guests from Germany and abroad met on 7th September 2022 at Gut Rethmar to celebrate the 30th anniversary of EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht GmbH, and to pay a tribute to Dr Heinrich Böhm, who is retiring. EUROPLANT and Böhm-Nordkartoffel Agrarproduktion GmbH (BNA) announced a merger to come into effect during the new financial year 2023/2024.
Development of the UK’s new Seed Potato Organisation is ‘quietly making progress’ and it will be launching in the next few months, as Gordon Davidson, News & Online Editor for The Scottish Farmer, reports. Following a packed-out session at the Potatoes in Practice event, a co-operative is now formally being set up to support the British seed potato sector.
Potato plants encounter many threats in the early season, which is a crucial time for establishing plant health. Growers can reduce early-season risk with a management plan that addresses insects and disease at planting. Diseases like Fusarium dry rot and Rhizoctonia can infect seedlings, causing the death of stolons and stems, weakened roots and stunted plant growth. A broad-spectrum fungicide and a neonicotinoid seed treatment helps control insects like the Colorado potato beetle, aphids, potato psyllid and leafhoppers.
Gordon MP Richard Thomson has warned DEFRA Farming Minister Victoria Prentis that the “clock is ticking” for Scottish seed potato exports as the Irish Government put in place a €3million investment scheme in their domestic potato growers in a bid to capitalise on the ban on imports of Scottish seed potatoes. Irish Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said this presents a timely opportunity for the Irish seed potato sector to develop capacity and expand
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