Equipment and Technology Showcase Looking to replace handling equipment for next year or improve your storage facility this season? Spud Smart has details on the newest products and technologies for Canadian growers. Iso-Glide Builds on Iso-Flo SuccessKey Technology has released Iso-Glide, its newest vibratory conveyor. Building on the company’s Iso-Flo technology platform, the conveyer offers producers gentler handling and increased control, and is ideal for handling fragile products, such as frozen potato…
Ventilation, humidification and sprout control are important factors when storing your potato crop. Spud Smart has your crop covered with advice from the experts on best management practices, and a look at new products and technologies to enhance your storage success this season. Ventilation: Top Tips and New Products As potato growers expand their operations, they are requiring more storage facilities to hold their inventories, placing more demand on storage managers. This…
WORLD REVIEW European Potato-Producing Countries Expect Bumper HarvestThe North-Western European Potato Growers, which represents the five leading potato-producing countries in the region (Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain and Holland), has estimated that the total ware potato harvest could be 1.6 million tonnes more than last season, up 6.8 per cent year-on-year. The total NEPG area planted to potatoes is estimated to have increased by 1.3 per cent compared to last season. Total…
Book Review Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Potatoes … And So Much More A comprehensive, easy-to-follow, go-to resource is now available for potato growers. The Complete Book of Potatoes: What Every Grower and Gardener Needs to Know can help you tell a “Reba” from a “German Butterball,” aid you in determining what is causing your potato stems to collapse, or provide suggestions for maximizing yield at harvest time. Written by…
In Canada, numerous projects are under way to study various post-harvest diseases and to evaluate products, some established and some yet to be released, for the prevention and suppression of storage-related diseases, with the aim of determining the best options for growers. Fusarium Collaborative projects are under way in Alberta and Prince Edward Island on the management of fusarium dry rot. Research efforts are aimed at determining the best integrated programs to…
Canadian growers are facing six major potato storage diseases this season, says Khalil Al-Mughrabi, a pathologist at the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries’ Potato Development Centre; they are late blight, pink rot, pythium leak, fusarium dry rot, soft rot and silver scurf. “These diseases can potentially be problems in storage. However, if growers manage their crops well, not only in the field but also in storage, they can reduce…
It would be difficult to find any commercial potato grower in Canada who is not aware that the disease known most commonly as “PVY” is a serious threat to the successful production of an acceptable seed lot. Potato virus Y has a wide host range, and not only does it affect plants in more than nine different families, but the disease can be caused by a great number of different strain types….
From Our Desk By now, you’ve probably heard about the two new tools P.E.I. growers and dealers will have to help them make their marketing decisions this season. At the end of November, the P.E.I Potato Board will begin reporting the Fresh Weight Average (average sale price of potatoes per hundredweight) and Grower Return Index (average grower price per hundredweight delivered to the packing shed) on a weekly basis in an effort…
Meeting Standards On-farm food safety and traceability measures—are Canadian growers measuring up? In recent years, it seems the ink has barely dried on a report in the media about a food-borne disease outbreak when another takes its place. It is established that with the increased scale of production and exportation on farms come increased risks—and food safety and traceability standards implemented on the farm are a natural first line of defence. Across…
Late blight, caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans, remains the most serious and destructive disease of potatoes. Growers have relied on chemical sprays for many years to prevent serious outbreaks of late blight in their fields, and chemical companies around the world constantly strive to develop new and more effective formulations of fungicides to control the disease. Chemical sprays come at a high price though, and in some areas the treatment of…