A new project to help potato growers fine-tune storage practices has been established by a consortium of sector groups and experts.
Growers are being encouraged to sign up to the project, which is based on the Strategic Potato (SPot) Farms model run by AHDB Potatoes prior to its demise.
It has been launched by a consortium of GB Potatoes, storage specialist Adrian Cunnington of Potato Storage Insight and agronomist Simon Faulkner from SDF Agriculture.
There is currently a lack of practical research in storage and limited funding available for any R&D, according to the consortium.
There are plans for an open day in May 2024, with growers and their advisers attending to find out how practices develop over future seasons.
Adrian Cunnington said: "We believe that practical activity will help growers better understand how to refine their own storage facilities’ performance.
“Working together to build better practice will help improve returns as we will be monitoring costs such as energy.
“These trials will demonstrate the contrasts of what can happen with a range of varieties subjected to different strategies, and with some of the currently available sprout suppressants.
“To be sustainable and make a realistic margin, potato stores need to be profitable, so tuber quality needs to be good and costs transparent and controlled.
“Seeing things done in a commercial set-up helps our hosts and partners share experiences with visitors who can then go home and confidently apply them in their own stores.”
Learnings from the SPot stores will also be shared at other workshops run by GB Potatoes in Yorkshire and Shropshire in 2024.
In addition, PCN-resistant varieties are being stored in two south Lincolnshire stores for additional evaluation.
This follows the successful first year of field demonstrations held in conjunction with SDF Agriculture and Hutchinsons.
