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…
By Henry Stenning and Andrew Barber Sustainable Vegetable Systems (SVS) – progress The Sustainable Vegetable Systems (SVS) programme continues apace, with all four workstreams making significant progress, despite the extra obstacles created by Covid-19 lockdowns. Workstream 1 – the intensive sampling programme – at Plant & Food Research’s (PFR) Hawke’s Bay and Lincoln research stations…
By Gemma Carroll, PNZ Comms & Extension Officer. It has been a mixed bag of weather this Spring and Summer, with a couple of rain events challenging growers in Horowhenua and Canterbury. NZ agronomists and growers in our main growing regions had the following to say about the 2021-2022 potato season. In Canterbury, Roger Blyth,…
by Gemma Carroll: Potatoes NZ communications and engagement officer. The New Zealand potato industry saw supply chain disruptions, changing protocols for health and safety and a polarization of political and health ideologies in the last 21 months of the pandemic response. NZ potato growers across the country have been under immense pressure due to imminent…
Edited extracts from the SVS Grower Baseline Report. The full report can be read here https://potatoesnz.co.nz/rd-project/emissions-project/ The Sustainable Vegetable System (SVS) project contracted social research provider FOLKL to ensure grower opinions and needs are central to the outcomes of the programme. Here we outline the insights from this baseline survey. The 3 goals of the…