No. 8/23 SUBSCRIBER EDITION: please go to potatostorageinsight.com/subscribe to sign up
Welcome to the latest edition of Synopsis, PSI's update for August 2023 of news, technical content and up-to-the-minute information about developments in potato storage.
In this month's Best Practice slot, we will be looking at planning and preparations for a new storage season. Our Technical Insight feature has information about new compliance requirements and a temporary MRL for CIPC residues which have been recently announced by CRD and we have also have the usual events listing.
July's weather for the most part has been wet with some parts of the country struggling to find dry enough 'windows' between the rain to get blight sprays on and maleic hydrazide treatments underway. This has put added pressure on some crops which were already striving to recover from delayed planting and/or poor soil conditions. But it is still worth putting MH on to any crops that are actively growing to get that all-important residual control of sprouting for storage (see our July bulletin)
Keeping on top of blight will be a key element of pre-harvest management especially if warm and wet conditions persist. Many crops have developed large canopies which can provide an ideal breeding ground for blight infections and heighten the risk of tuber blight development which could then transfer into storage.
POTATO STORAGE INSIGHT (PSI) ACTIVITY
Work on store audits has continued in July and into August and in the last month we have ventured into Yorkshire, Northumberland and most recently into Scotland (below) including a
visit to the Potatoes in Practice event at James Hutton Institute, of which there is more below.
Whole Crop Marketing event
A very good turnout of growers and associated parties visited the WCM potato day held at South Cave just north of the Humber on 27 July.
Potatoes in Practice
The annual pilgrimage north to PiP on 10 August was a chance to catch up with growers from further afield and see the second set of new experimental stores which have been constructed at the James Hutton Institute (JHI) in Dundee, as we reported last month. Finishing touches have been made to the stores with the recent addition of fogging ports and installation of external roller doors to the umbrella building taking place at the time PSI were on site.
It was good to hear about the positive progress being made at JHI not only with the new facility, but also the wider project to establish a new National Potato Innovation Centre, which was described by Prof Ian Toth, the new head of the NPIC, in the seminar session at PiP.
There was a wide range of trial plots and stands on show, as ever,
If you want to learn more about the new storage research capability, please note that you should contact Faye Ritchie at ADAS or Derek Stewart at JHI in the first instance.
Harrogate seminars
PSI is delighted to have been asked to provide input to the storage seminars which will be held at this year's BP2023 event in Harrogate, being held once again at the Great Yorkshire Showground site on the outskirts of the town on 22 & 23 November.
Adrian Cunnington (pictured, right) will be amongst key industry speakers contributing on energy efficiency and optimal use of sprout suppressants on Day 1 of the two day show.
Tickets can now be booked via the event website. Registration is FREE. Click here to go to the event registration page.
BEST PRACTICE for August/September
Preparing for another season of storage
August is often a very busy month with cereal harvest predominating, but it is important to keep an eye on preparations for potato harvest all the same. This will already be a major focus for salad growers and many of you will be monitoring crop development to check on quality and size profiles of crops in the field.
Keeping on top of blight will also be a key element of pre-harvest management especially if the combination of warm and wet weather persists. With the rain in July, a lot of crops have developed large canopies (some with and some without the tubers to match) which provide an ideal, out of sight breeding ground for fungal infections and heighten the risk of tuber blight development which could then transfer into storage.