Oakley’s are industry leaders in harnessing the latest technology to minimise environmental impacts, like extensive use of on-farm moisture probes which accurately measure soil moisture and are used to forecast irrigation requirements in conjunction with up-to-date weather forecast information and crop demands. Oakleys also carry out extensive soil and plant nutrient testing to ensure just…
Article by Gemma Carroll, PNZ Communications & Extension Officer, based on a report prepared by Waka Paul, Social Scientist, Plant and Food Research Institute. Understanding growers and agronomists needs and goals in nutrient management, is a key focus of the Sustainable Vegetable Systems (SVS) programme in order to develop deeper understanding and to enable improvements…
By Glenys Christian Featured image: Potatoes NZ board member and grower, Bharat Bhana, with an Adroit sensor in one of his potato paddocks close to Pukekohe. The yellow stick in the background marks where another sensor remains in the soil. While vegetable growers have relied on knowing how much water their crops required by the…
The Methven A&P show was to be 107 this year, but for only the 3rd time in history it was cancelled. The previous two times it was due to the world war, this time it was due to a global pandemic. The Spud-in-a-Bucket competition carried on despite the cancelled main event, with seed donated to…
Understanding management and environmental implications of nitrogen use in vegetable crop production. by PFR scientists Bruce Searle, Trish Fraser, & Jo Sharp. Nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient for the successful production of crops, and each year growers invest significantly in applying N fertilisers. However, not all the applied N is used by the crop…
The Sustainable Vegetable Systems (SVS) program has made great progress with trials and data forming the foundation for interesting conversations around the support that growers need for improved financial and environmental performance alongside compliance reporting. The highlight from this quarter is that the prototype farmer tool has been developed (see Workstream 3). Workstream 1 – The Plant & Food…
By Gemma Carroll, PNZ Communications & Extension Officer The Canterbury Potato Liberibacter Initiative (CPLI) was formed in August 2021 by like-minded Canterbury farmers and industry representatives to combat the devastating impact of the Liberibacter (Lso) bacterium causing Zebra chip in potato crops. Lso is transmitted by the Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP). The TPP incursion was…
By Gemma Carroll, PNZ Communications and Extension Officer The New Zealand potato industry continues to provide a high quality, staple food for domestic and export markets. In support of that, the team at Potatoes New Zealand (PNZ) is finalising our plan for the year ahead, based on a sustainability strategy and a new framework for…
POTATOES NEW ZEALAND & LINCOLN UNIVERSITY JOINT MEDIA RELEASE Embargoed Date: 24th February 2022 6pm The board of Potatoes NZ Inc. (PNZ) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Lincoln University to launch a research partnership which includes a Centre of Excellence for Potato Research and Extension, based in Canterbury. Lincoln University Associate Professor of…
Republished with permission from author and HortNZ/NZ Grower December 2021 magazine article By Ailsa Robertson, Sustainability and Extension Manager Image: Ministry for Environment [1] The buildup of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities is causing the Earth’s climate to change. These gases trap heat in the Earth’s surface…
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