News on Potato Defects and Diseases from Europe

A genetically-modified (GM) Maris Piper designed to resist the devastating plant disease late blight has worked “brilliantly” during the first year of field trials, according to scientists of The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL)

The potato harvest in the United Kingdom was mostly without drama. Hopefully this doesn't change during the storage season. But watch the changes in the CIPC regulation.

Potato growers in Hungary are in a tough position as potato prices are low. On top of that, yield has been negatively affected by heat and quality is far from optimal.

For the current European potato harvest, the North-western-European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimate the total potato production at 27.9 million tons for the five NEPG countries (Belgium, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Great Britain). This is up 13.5 percent compared to last season.

Op basis van proefrooiingen en praktijkresultaten verwacht de NEPG een totale oogst van 27,9 miljoen ton aan consumptieaardappelen in Noord-west Europa. Dat is 13,5% hoger dan vorig jaar.

Dewulf now unveils Torro, its long-awaited trailed 2-row sieving potato harvester with haulm conveyor, flat hedgehog units and bunker.

As the potato harvest in the United Kingdom progresses, there are increasing reports of widespread scab.

The breeders of Solynta have succeeded in making potato plants insusceptible to the dreaded potato disease Phytophthora infestans, using their revolutionary hybrid breeding technique.

The Dutch company Solynta has developed a potato variety that is resistant to late blight (Phytophthora Infestans). As a result, it could greatly reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture.

In Scotland, a group of major potato businesses and public sector organisations have sponsored a £242,000 (USD 313,000) research project aimed at reducing the impact of potato disease blackleg on the Scottish seed potato industry.

Potato industry representatives, growers and influencers from all over the UK and beyond are expected to descend on Dundee to take part in Potatoes in Practice 2017, a technical potato field event featuring a high-standard mix of science, technology and practical advice and the largest of its type in the UK.

Scientists have identified a version of a single gene involved in the heat stress response that is more active in potato types that can tolerate high temperature, potentially providing potato breeders a tool to make potato varieties less vulnerable to increased temperature.

Last week on 15 & 16 June, the Europatat Congress 2017 took place. Feedback on the congress and side events has been extremely positive.

In the United Kingdom, farming minster George Eustice (DEFRA) has approved a four-year trial of genetically modified (GM) potatoes at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich.

Buntata is a collaborative effort between the University of St Andrews and the James Hutton Institute to enable open access to our information resources and put them at the fingertips of potato growers.

La conselleira de Medio Rural, Ángeles Vázquez, ha comunicado que en los primeros cuatro ayuntamientos en los que se ha empezado a retirar la patata por la plaga de la polilla guatemalteca se han recogido "cerca de 17.000 kilos de patata", y ha pedido la "solidaridad" de los afectados para "facilitar" la recogida.

Despite the fact that the bacteria responsible for zebra chip disease occur in the Mediterranean and cause damage in leek and onions, the risk for transfer to potatoes is low, because of the feeding preferences of the transmitting psyllids in this area.

The organizers of the Europatat 2017 Congress in Antwerp from 15 to 17 June announce the addition of a number of high level speakers to the programme