No-nonsense, no-frills news stories from around the world
International economist Steven Cerier writes in this article, published by Genetic Literacy Project, that agriculture must become more productive to feed a growing world population. This can only be accomplished by the further application of science and technology, “and not as some suggest by going backwards in time to a much simpler and idealized form of farming that shuns the use of biotechnology and technological advances such as artificial intelligence (AI), drones, robots and microchips…”
HarvestEye – a machine-learning driven crop insights tool – is heading to the World Potato Congress at the end of May, as it continues to showcase on the global agricultural stage the actionable insights it places in the hands of growers. HarvestEye comprises of a patented technology that provides timely insights on root crops as they are lifted – presenting growers with valuable information on the size and count over a whole field that is absent from conventional sampling.
Phosphorous is an essential part of the equation for all crops, but particularly for potato growers. But providing P to the crop isn’t always straightforward. Unium Bioscience has recently launched its nutrient-biostimulant product, Luxor, to help growers maximise the availability of P. What exactly is Luxor and how does it work?
The new Bosch BASF partnership, Smart Farming, will soon introduce a new “SmartSprayer” that promises to deliver conservation results and save money for farmers in the U.S. and around the world, to the tune of up to 70 percent cost savings on herbicides. The new spraying technology uses cameras and additional lighting sources on sprayer booms to identify weeds in the field.
Cutting inputs and costs is a common goal for growers making the first steps into regenerative farming. Base phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) applications are usually among the first to fall, but the current economic climate and recent price hike means that there is also huge interest in bringing nitrogen (N) rates down. Farmers Weekly spoke to two growers in the UK who are reducing their use of inputs.
Considering a new or new-to-you potato planter? Here’s the pros and cons for the most common styles available today: Pick planters, belt planters, air-cup planters. Article by Darren Demers, Lockwood Equipment Specialist.
Yara has recently established a new Incubator Farm in the Columbia Basin of Washington, aimed at exploring how a complete potato crop nutrition program that drives productivity and grower profitability can simultaneously lead to a reduced carbon footprint.
“The soft rot bacterium that causes seed piece decay is very common, and it has an extensive host range. It survives in soil and surface waters. Soft rot in potatoes is caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum,” says Dr Eugenia Banks, potato specialist with the Ontario Potato Board in Canada.
In episode 1 of the Resource Positive Agriculture podcast host and Executive Director of the Potato Sustainability Alliance, John Mesko shares with us the meaning behind resource positive agriculture. “Resource positive agriculture describes what we all want, a food and farming system which makes full and responsible use of the natural world.”
Potato stores require large amounts of energy, so is solar PV an attractive investment? Stephen Robb investigated for Irish Farmers Journal. Robb looks at two example potato farms with cold stores, storage sheds, processing/sorting facilities and packing facilities and analyses how installed solar PV systems impact on their overall operation and cost to maintain and operate.
Powered by satellite data and powerful analysis models, ‘GeoPotato’ is designed to enable preventive spraying, easier crop protection decisions, and improved farmer incomes. GeoPotato was launched by Bayer as a geodata-driven early warning system for late blight in potatoes, and has entered a full commercial roll-out in Bangladesh. It could potentially reach as many as 1 million smallholder farmers in the coming years.
On March 29, Dr Jeff Miller from Miller Research in Idaho presented this webinar in collaboration with the Ontario Potato Board, coordinated by Dr Eugenia Banks and hosted by Potatoes in Canada magazine. A recording of the webinar is now available on YouTube.
The Living Lab Ontario project is hosting a webinar on Growing Potatoes with Cover Crops tomorrow, April 20th from 12:30 to 1:30 pm (ET). Attendees will be informed about the results of cover crop trials generated in Prince Edward Island through ‘Living Lab-Atlantic to Ontario’ producers.
“Growing potatoes can sometimes feel like it’s a constant battle. From seed import and export restrictions following the UK’s departure from the European Union to a shrinking armoury of crop protection products and pandemic-induced changes in consumer demand. Despite these challenges, potatoes can still be a financially rewarding crop.” This, according to a recent article posted online by Bayer Crop Science in the UK.
Potato is an important food and nutritional security crop in sub-Saharan Africa. However, a quick look reveals a glaring challenge faced by farmers across the continent: limited access to quality seed potato. The situation is no different in Cameroon. But recent success in Kenya – supported by the International Potato Center (CIP) – holds great promise for Cameroon and other SSA countries.
A new tool available for the 2022 season, the KestrelMet 6000 AG weather station provides farmers with a simple, cost-effective way to manage risk, create management timelines and achieve better irrigation efficiency.
Independent field trials have shown for a 4th year that Interagro’s amino acid + peptide biostimulant Bridgeway helps to combat the effects of heat stress in potato crops, enabling photosynthesis and tuberisation to be maintained. Importantly for growers it helped secure yield with significant increases and margin gains over untreated crops.
PepsiCo and N-Drip have announced a partnership to help farmers around the world adopt game-changing technology in water efficiency across 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) by 2025. N-Drip’s high-efficiency irrigation system is powered by gravity and harnesses the water-saving benefits of high-pressure drip irrigation.
Evidence suggests that wireworm damage in potatoes has been getting more severe and widespread and, in some cases, has led to British growers losing £100,000s in revenue. This worsening problem has prompted plenty of research activity to try to find solutions for growers looking to protect their investment
Greater use of natural regeneration breaks and cover crops in arable rotations means the weed seed burden of some of the more troublesome weeds for potatoes are on the increase in the UK. Potato growers feeling the pinch of price pressures this spring could look at simplifying herbicide mixes for more cost-effective pre-emergence options, advocates Syngenta Technical Manager, Andy Cunningham.
A weather-based decision support system that originated 15 years ago in the tree fruit orchards of Washington state has branched into the region’s potato fields. The Pacific Northwest Potato Decision Aid System (DAS) collects regional weather inputs and combines that with research-based data on local pest populations. It then alerts growers to when different insect populations may be active.
New advice for in-furrow application of Amistar during potato planting will achieve a more complete zone of protection around the mother tuber when using modern high-speed belt planters, advises Syngenta Application Specialist, Harry Fordham.
With more than a decade of research and development in soil science, crop nutrition needs and uptake, Emerald Research Ltd (ERL) is putting its knowledge into helping potato and vegetable farmers balance sustainability with the increased yield and profitable crop production. Its product OptiYield Core is said to pinpoint each crop’s most important growth stages and target these with the appropriate mixture of nutrients and biostimulants to maximise performance and minimise waste.
Canada’s national potato magazine, SpudSmart, has selected the AgroScout crop monitoring solution as one of its Top 10 Most Innovative Products in the Potato Industry for 2022. Industry people from across the Canadian potato industry recently voted to choose companies that they want to name as one of the companies deserving of this honour.
‘DriftRadar’, an integrated drift management concept from Bayer, was awarded the “DLG-Agrifuture Concept Winner” by the DLG (German Agricultural Society) at this year’s Agritechnica event. With the new system, automatic field-specific drift control is possible, according to Bayer.
Trimble’s virtual farm is an interactive online experience for farmers across the world to immerse themselves in precision agriculture. in this new online tool, users walk through a digital farm and identify common challenges they encounter on a day-to-day basis. From there, farmers are directed to Trimble’s connected solutions for each challenge and connected with a Trimble Ag representative to identify the best solution for their farm.
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster last week announced an investment in what it calls “the world’s first interactive, operational planning software for autonomous agriculture”. This project will create a digital twin of a users’ farm to support operational planning and decision-making.
