June 05, 2023 | Blogs

How climate change affects nematodes in potato cultivation

Potato cyst nematodes originate in the Andes in South America and were first found in North Germany in the first decades of the 20^th century. Hence the name of the golden nematode Globodera rostochiensis, after Rostock, a city in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania in the North of Germany. The Gross Lüsewitz Potato Collection Genebank of the Leibniz…

May 22, 2023 | Blogs

How climate change affects bacteria in potatoes

Bacteria spread across the world with the seed tubers mainly. Soft rot bacteria (Pectobactetrium spp. and Dickeya solani) are present in most growing environments although not both species and their subspecies appear everywhere. The pathotypes P. wasabi and S. solani for instance are new strains in parts of Europe introduced from other parts of the…

April 24, 2023 | Blogs

How chlorophyll fluorescence can play a role in potato production water management

In the process of photosynthesis, units of solar radiation (photons) penetrate the leaf, enter the chlorophyll and excite the enzymes in the rubisco. The energy subsequently is used to create energy containing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by phosphorylating adenosine diphosphate (ADP): ADP + P + energy -> ATP.

April 17, 2023 | Blogs

Understanding the effect of day length on potato tuber growth

The earth moves around the sun in one year. The axis of the earth, however, is not perpendicular to the orbit of the sun. This is the reason why the length of the day—defined as the number of hours that the sun is above the horizon—varies at different locations of the world.

April 10, 2023 | Blogs

How carbon dioxide affects the growth and development of potato plants

Prior to the start of the industrial era, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air was 280 parts per million, ppm. In the 1970s the concentration was 320 ppm and in 2015 it surpassed 400 ppm (or 0.04 percent).

April 03, 2023 | Blogs

The effect of solar radiation on dry matter accumulation in potatoes

The objective of growing potato is intercepting solar radiation as much as possible during the cycle from planting until crop end (foliage death). Radiation does not affect development through partitioning of dry matter, but affects the accumulation of crop dry matter, crop growth.

March 21, 2023 | Articles

HZPC wants to waste no time

During the 2022 HZPC Potato Days, the trading house organised a webinar on the challenges in the field of food security and sustainability, now and in the future. And how the potato sector can make an important contribution to this, because according to the company, there is no time to lose.

March 21, 2023 | Articles

Agrico Research is expanding its area of trial fields

Agrico Research has recently purchased additional land for the expansion of its activities. Thanks to acquiring an additional 31 hectares of land, Agrico’s own breeding and research station in Bant has more trial field space at its disposal for research purposes and for developing new potato varieties.

February 13, 2023 | Blogs

Uncertainties and variability when growing potatoes

Growing a potato crop, unlike producing an item in a factory, is surrounded by uncertainties. When a field needs to be planted in spring or autumn, the exact date cannot be predicted with certainty.

February 06, 2023 | Blogs

Tactical and operational decisions upon growing potatoes

Once decided to grow potatoes in the next season, a series of tactical decisions are taken by the grower before the crop is planted. The variety is chosen, the seed size, seed rate and planting pattern and the certification level of the seed bought or the use of farm saved seed.