| Potatoes
Maris Piper still king but growers use new
varieties to meet retail demand
British potato growers have planted an increased area of emerging varieties to serve the fresh packing market, amid
reports of increased levels of ‘on-contract’ supermarket supply where prices are agreed in advance.
owever, Maris Piper
comfortably remains the most
planted potato, with three times
more area than the next most
popular fresh packing variety.
The varieties that
have gained the most area this season are
fresh packing potatoes Nectar and Melody,
which increased their area by 1,000 hectares
(ha) and 700 ha respectively. Both are more
recent introductions to the UK market than
Estima, which has decreased in area by an
estimated 400 ha this season.
AHDB Potatoes Market Intelligence Analyst,
Amber Cottingham said: “The packing market
has seen another increase in area this season,
with acreage intended for processing declining
once more. This may be due to a reported
increase in contracts offered in the packing
H
market as retailers seek to reduce the financial
fluctuations they encounter in meeting demand.
“There continues to be some changes in the
top 10 list, as newer varieties designed to suit
today’s needs – both at an agronomic and
consumer level – continue to increase in
popularity. Likewise, some of the biggest losers
this year are older varieties, which are being
replaced by newer alternatives.”
Results were announced in the AHDB
Potatoes Area by Variety Estimate, released
today (30 August).
Overall the area planted that is intended to
supply the fresh retail sector has increased for
the second year in a row to an estimated 38 per
cent of the total planted area in Great Britain,
while the area planted to serve the processing
sector has decreased, also for the second year
running, to 29 per cent.
Amber Cottingham said: “Area changes can
be closely linked to the price paid the previous
season. For the packing sector, this has likely
had an impact, as many prices were favourable
during the 2015/16 and much of the 2016/17
season, up to the point when planting
decisions would have been taking place.”
The estimate is produced using anonymised
and aggregated data from AHDB levy return
forms, which is analysed through an ISO
controlled process. A full report, including area
changes by region and sector, can be seen at
potatoes.ahdb.org.uk
CIPC and alternative UK
Sprout Suppressants
Due to its efficacy and modest cost, CIPC has been the
sprout suppressant of choice on a global level for over
fifty years. Regulatory pressures in the UK, and the
stewardship response, has reduced the amount of CIPC
available, which has resulted in a resurgence of interest in
alternatives.
esearch carried out at AHDB’s
Sutton Bridge Crop Storage
Research has been looking into
alternatives, which are at
various stages of the regulatory
process.
Adrian Briddon, Senior Scientist at Sutton
Bridge, said: “For the fresh potato sector, I think
we have become less dependent on CIPC over
recent years and official government figures
show some of the alternatives are being used.
“For the processing sector though, this
regulatory pressure is causing the most
problems, because the scope of alternatives is
more limited, and cost is more critical. Maleic
hydrazide, applied in the field is being used
more generally across the industry, which is
helped by the benefit of volunteer control.
“However, ethylene and spearmint oil have
only really achieved success in the fresh potato
sector so far. While alternative sprout
suppressants may not be considered as
effective, their use in combination with CIPC
may be more effective than just the sum of the
parts i.e. synergy. Results of Glyn Harper’s
work on CIPC with ethylene threw up some
interesting outcomes and is now of particular
interest.
How we use Sprout Supplements
R
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
Most of the new
alternative sprout
suppressants are volatile,
oily liquids and one is a
gas. These compounds
each require a different
store management approach
and a specific understanding
of the application conditions
required.
Because of a loss of apical
dominance, treatments can have
a modifying effect on stem
numbers and some are being used
successfully in seed management. In
addition, some of the essential oils are
also reported to control some
pathogens.
Because they form vapour in store, many
of the new sprout suppressants need longer
store closure periods after application, to
ensure complete ‘uptake’ of products. In many
cases 24 hours is likely to be a minimum label
requirement, so for processing stores, different
types of equipment are likely to be used. The
new products tend to be more dynamic
compounds, being gases and vapours.
This may mean applications need to be
more frequent, but buildings can subsequently
be
used for
storage of other
commodities and seed
potatoes. This is not the case with CIPC, where
a risk of cross-contamination persists for many
years.
September 2017 | Farming Monthly | 25