February 26, 2021 | Articles

All sustainable solutions under one roof in “the storehouse of the future”

Builders are busy constructing ‘the storehouse of the future’ at arable farmer Tonnie van Peperstraten’s farm in Oude Tonge. A multi-million dollar project that incorporates all the latest insights and techniques for the coming years, taking into account product quality and sustainability. We recently came to see how environmentally-friendly the potato storage will soon be.

November 25, 2020 | Articles

‘Policy can only be determined on the basis of science’

A beautiful and healthy green potato crop. That’s what lobbyist Iris Bouwers likes to see on her own farm. So it’s not surprising that she has the topic of Plant Health high on her agenda for Brussels. ‘If you feel that things are not going too well with the commodities policy, you shouldn’t just look…

November 25, 2020 | Articles

Fertigation: From wait-and-see attitude to necessity

In recent years, various research projects with drip irrigation and fertigation have already been carried out in the potato sector and they have been described in detail in several articles. Every year, projects are being started in every corner of the Netherlands. Also at Van Iperen, supplier of fertilisers and crop protection agents in the…

November 25, 2020 | Articles

Ground breaking news for the potato sector: Wageningen University finds new resistances

Researchers Dr Jack Vossen, Dr Ben Vosman and Dr Misghina Goitom Teklu of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) present ground breaking news. After intensive research, resistances have now been found in wild potato varieties for pathogens such as Erwinia and Colorado beetle, for which no resistances were yet known and/or available until recently. The researchers…

September 23, 2020 | Articles

Still a lot to be tested when cultivating potatoes with the strip cultivation method

Recently, partners of Wageningen Potato Centre (WPC) visited the Dutch experimental garden for Agro-ecology and technology in Lelystad. There they were introduced to the first experiences that researchers have gained with the strip cultivation method for potatoes. These are still at an early stage, as it turns out, and there is still a lot to…

June 03, 2020 | Articles

Proud British entrepreneurs continue to innovate even after Brexit

Regardless of how the Brexit negotiations of recent years ended, the British potato sector remains undaunted. Entrepreneurs in the industry have conti­nued to develop their business here and, at the British Potato 2019, held in November, they once again had the customary novelties in store for the visitors, which they proudly presented.

June 03, 2020 | Articles

Growing interest in American Kinsey-Albrecht soil analysis

The American Kinsey-Albrecht soil health programme has focused on a comprehensive soil analysis ever since 1973. This with the aim of improving soil fertility and resilience of plants such as the potato. The two developers of the analysis started out from the idea that an active soil biology ensures the capture of nutrients, which then…

March 11, 2020 | Articles

Variety Presentation Days 2019: main objectives in breeding vary widely

To the question ‘what is the most important focus in your breeding work at the moment’, we received a wide range of answers from the participating breeding and trading companies present at the annual variety presentation days in Emmeloord and its immediate surroun­dings. Frequently heard responses were, we are looking for resistances, and for some people…

November 20, 2019 | Articles

NPPL participant Martin de Meijer: ’I didn’t want to be faced with all kinds of things that don’t work’

In recent months, the National Experimental Garden for Precision Farming (NPPL) has organised meetings hosted by various participants in the project, under the name NPPL on Tour. Arable farmer and potato grower Martin de Meijer from the village of Hoek was one of them. He shared his earliest experiences in the area of precision farming…

November 20, 2019 | Articles

PotatoEurope 2019: mostly dry weather, lots of interest and plenty of novelties

At a well-organised and spacious showground in Kain, Belgium, owned by arable farmer Octaaf Witdouck, visitors to PotatoEurope at the beginning of September were yet again presented with plenty of news about developments in the potato industry. Judging from the crowded stands and aisles and the many people on the demonstration fields, the interest was…