Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 17 STORAGE T HE Net Zero Hectare project has secured £2.06 million in funding acquired fromThe Farming Innovation Programme, run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in cooperation with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The three-year project will work with industry experts in each area and the collaboration will look to tackle the three key areas of emissions in growing ware potato crops: Fertiliser, storage, and transport. Using its SmartStor controller, crop storage technology firm Crop Systems Ltd will monitor multiple stores and track all aspects of energy usage minute by minute. This will allow modifications to drive down storage costs. Another area being advanced by the investment is pre-conditioning potatoes ready for retail during transport. The lead partner is UK supplier Branston. B-hive Innovations, an agri-tech R&D business based in Lincoln which develops technologies for fresh produce industry to increase marketable yield and reduce food waste in the supply chain, is also one of the collaborators. University of Lincoln lead researchers on the project, Dr Sandra Varga and Dr Iain Gould, said: “This is a unique opportunity to try something that farmers usually are unable to trial owing to capacity and cost limitations.” David Armstrong, a Lincolnshire-based grower who will be trialling the store and field research said: “Being involved in a project like this from the start gives us the chance to make a real difference.” John Stirling, farmer and owner of Arbikie Distillery in Montrose, said: “This project gives us the opportunity to challenge some conventional thinking across all scopes.” Partners secure £2m investment funding to sustain future of potato growing W ITH high disease risk and astronomical energy prices, seed potato growers should apply a fungicide to tubers early on to avoid storing waste that will be thrown away next spring, an agronomist has advised. Independent potato consultant Paul Overton said tubers would likely spend extra time in store owing to uncertainty surrounding next year’s cropping plans and this will push growers to make last- minute decisions on seed and force a larger proportion of grading and delivery of domestic orders into March, rather than February. This extra month’s storage will only increase the already high risk of tubers breaking down to disease following a harvest where conditions have been very conducive for pathogens like Fusarium, he said. The Fusarium species that infect tubers and cause dry rot are most prevalent when tuber damage at harvest is high, allowing the fungus to get under the skin and develop in store. Speaking to Potato Review in September, Paul said that despite conditions starting to cool and rain arriving to wet soils, the disease risk of dry rot was still very present, along with pink rot (Phytophthora erythroseptica) and watery wound rot (Pythium spp). “Tuber temperatures are still 20C, or higher in some areas, which makes crops incredibly difficult to manage. It will be a slow process getting wounds to heal and crops down to cold store holding temperatures. The relatively warm nights aren’t helping either,” he said. At current energy prices, this will also be a costly process, along with keeping crops in store until spring. Paul said a good strategy in a high-risk year is to apply a “base coat” of a fungicide tuber treatment like Gavel (imazalil) as soon as possible after harvest. This will help protect open wounds and prevent disease ingress, leading to fewer losses at grading. “Storing tubers just to throw them out is very expensive – perhaps more than people realise – and the treatments will comfortably pay for themselves. Many varieties we grow are susceptible now and in very high-risk stocks, it might also be wise to consider mixing or sequencing Gavel with Storite Excel (thiabendazole) for additional protection,” he said. He added that good coverage through sound application is key and recommended using a hooded sprayer with twin rotating nozzle over a roller table. Don’t waste money storing rotten potatoes, growers warned. Minimise storage costs Good coverage through sound application is key and Paul recommends using a hooded sprayer with twin rotating nozzle over a roller table.