Research

The Chinese Government and leading potato company, Xisen Potato Group have committed £3 million to a collaboration with James Hutton Limited (JHL) to breed new varieties and research resistance to pests and diseases, tuber storage and potato processing.

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.

The Potato Centre of Excellence, Punjab’s only centre of its kind being set up at Dhogri village in Jalandhar, has not been completed yet, though the deadline for the project was 2015.

When Pipers Crisps — one of Britain’s best-known crisp brands — wanted to understand more about the science behind their premium products and processes they turned to food experts at the University of Nottingham.

Construction of Avebe's Innovation Centre at the Zernike Campus has started and this milestone was celebrated by 'planting' a potato time capsule.

Consumers create less waste from frozen vegetables, potato products and berry fruit than from fresh, or alternatives in cans or jars.

Research of Boise State University plan to develop a wireless sensor network that would be able to detect temperature, humidity levels, carbon dioxide and ammonia levels in real time, to help with early detection of rot in stored potatoes.

Plant Biosecurity CRC scientists have identified stable regions in the genome of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), which causes the serious disease Zebra Chip in potato and tomato crops. This research will provide new diagnostics that will significantly reduce uncertainty in biosecurity assessments.

Elea GmbH, leading manufacturer of equipment for Pulsed Electric Field treatment (PEF) used the recently concluded Snackex to highlight the opportunities PEF offers to snack manufacturers. Elea also introduce its Elea SmoothCut™ One system.

UMaine scientists say farmers could try to protect their potato crop by utilizing agricultural practices — including crop rotations and push-pull strategies — to create field conditions that favor Colorado potato beetle cannibalism.

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.

As part of their Lunar exploration in 2018, Chinese scientists will take an 18x16 cm cylinder to the surface of the moon and see if potato seeds can grow there in this containerized mini-ecosystem (Courtesy: 163.com)

The new Potato Expo Innovation Hub is now open and accepting abstract submissions for the Potato Expo 2018, the largest convention and trade show for the potato industry in North America.

Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner this week announced that Colorado State University will receive $264,600 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study the spread of pathogens in U.S potato crops.

Most people say that if there is a healthy choice on a menu they will take it. But observations and research show this is generally not the case.

Washington potato producers will vote from June 9–23, 2017, on whether to continue the federal marketing order regulating the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Washington.

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.

The Northwest Potato Research Consortium recently approved a combined $1.5 million in grant funding to 37 research projects.