Potato advice could save millions

24 May 2001



Potato advice ‘could save millions’

By Andrew Blake

ADVICE on potato cultivation in a new research review could save help growers tens of millions of pounds, it is claimed.

The a new British Potato Council review stresses that sound science is vital for producing the more consistent potato crops demanded by todays markets.

“Understanding how potatoes grow, determines how to grow potatoes,” states the 137-page Potato Agronomy document.

Its advice could help cut 33 million yearly losses to poor tuber size, disease, surface damage, weight loss and bruising, says the BPCs Helen Priestley.

The document was produced Eric Allen of Cambridge University Farm and the late Keith Scott of Nottingham University with ADASs Bill Parker.

Seventy years of research is covered in the review, which took three years to produce.

Commonly held misconceptions are challenged, including rooting depth and trial results and new guidance is given on scab irrigation and tuber ageing.

Available as a booklet or a searchable CD, the review is free to levy payers.

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