Management of Zebra Chip in the USA
Neil Gudmestad’s June 2019 NZ tour was well received and he has permitted us to share this American approach to Zebra Chip/Liberibacter management. See the slides from his talk here.
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Future spuds that pack a nutritious punch
Will the future of farming look more like Star Trek than Footrot Flats, with drones, probes and farmers behind screens rather than tractor wheels? New Zealand potato growers produce a reliable yield, with a great deal of hardwork and many growers also rotate their crops with other vegetables, which means at times, other heavy feeder crops, may reduce soil nutrients and result in a seemingly good potato yield, yet lacking essential nutrients. In addition,…
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Nutrient management for Vegetables Crops in NZ
We have a new Nutrient Management Advice PDF for Potato Growers. A revision of a previous resource, from Jeff Reid and Jeff Morton. Intended to be a resource of best-practice advice with a firm emphasis on scientifically defensible practices. It can be downloaded or read here.
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Re-greening control for pest and disease control
By Gemma Carroll The Regreening Project is a Sustainable Farming Fund project, in which it is hoped protocols for spraying-off seed crops will be developed to prevent and/or control re-greening. One of the greatest challenges is in the post-spray-off period, when there is the highest risk of Liberibacter infections and ongoing risk throughout the…
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The future is here
by Gemma Carroll [columns] [span4] [/span4][span4] [/span4][span4] [/span4][/columns] Teralytic is a soil analytics company which enables farmers to grow more, using less product/enhancement/applications whilst reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. Teralytic’s wireless probe contains 26 sensors which provide the most detailed soil quality data available, reporting soil moisture, salinity, pH, and NPK at three different depths, as well as aeration, respiration, air temperature, light,…
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For the #Spudlove
Republished with permission from www.stuff.co.nz Calling all carb fans – here’s your chance to chow down in the name of science. Massey University student Sarah Ross is on the hunt for 120 potato connoisseurs to sample spuds as part of her masters project. The project requires volunteers who regularly buy and eat potatoes to taste test the steamed vegetables…
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Research will enhance our industry’s output and land use
By Gemma Carroll PNZ Communications & Engagement Officer Dan Bloomer joins our 2019 Field Walks and is talking through the Page Bloomer/LandWISE project, FUTURE PROOFING VEGETABLE PRODUCTION, which covers the effectiveness of fertiliser and water application techniques. As public and government concern grows about nitrate leaching, this project will be an invaluable resource for farmers and the accountability that may arise…
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Pulse Electric Field (PEF) application for use in the potato industry
Article provided by Indrawati Oey, PhD Professor of Food Science Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) processing technology applies very short (microseconds) pulses of high voltage electricity to plant material placed between two electrodes (Oey, Roohinejad, Leong, Faridnia, Lee, & Kethireddy, 2016). In the deep-fried potato industry, potatoes can be subjected to PEF immediately after the sorting, washing and peeling step prior to cutting/slicing. The delivery of short electric pulses through the uncut (whole) potatoes during PEF processing alters the structural integrity of their tissues, which results…
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An app to smartly identify plant pests and diseases
Modern technology put to practical use for potato growers: A smartphone app developed by The James Hutton Institute in Scotland can help with disease identification in the field. Identifying plant diseases can be complex and difficult, as potato growers and even experienced agronomists know very well. Accurate identification and diagnosis require knowledge of the symptoms…
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Deciphering potential climate change impacts on potato production
Recent extreme weather events such as heat and drought, and unprecedented heavy rain have resulted in reduced bulking and encouraged rotting of tubers in major potato production areas in New Zealand. These have contributed to an estimated 25% loss in production by the New Zealand potato sector last season. This agrees with results from simulation models by the International Potato Centre that global potato production…
