Climate change resiliency and early potato dying studies were highlights of the Aug. 23 Elora Potato Research Open House. Vanessa Currie, University of Guelph potato breeding technician, said the five-year research study on which varieties hold up best under increasing climate pressures was launched this year. Why it matters: The annual potato research open house […] Read more
Tag Archives potatoes — page 3
Climate change and early dying dominate potato research
Retailers attend open house to inform future purchases
Kenyan potato producers cultivate Ontario connections
Owners of FreshCrop Ltd. plan to implement lessons learned here
Seven years ago, Chris and Ashley Gasperi planted four acres of potatoes on their idle land in Kenya. Today, their company, FreshCrop Ltd., is one of Kenya’s largest certified seed producers, with thousands of potato producers under contract and now in the process of building a 20-acre french fry processing facility and biofertilizer plant. FreshCrop […] Read more
P.E.I. potato growers, CFIA to draft plan for ‘pest-free places’
Plan would support movement of seed potatoes, feds say
A system of “pest-free places of production” (PFPP) is now on the drawing board for Prince Edward Island’s potato sector, following a meeting between federal and industry officials. Federal Agriculture Minister and P.E.I. MP Lawrence MacAulay on Friday reported meeting with staff and representatives of the P.E.I. Potato Board, to discuss next steps in the […] Read more
Mid-summer conditions raise alerts about late blight in potatoes
Growers are advised to scout and be proactive with fungicides
Late July brings a variety of conditions to potato fields across the province, and one common theme unites them all: late blight. The fungal disease has become serious in the past five or six years, garnering more attention through monitoring, the placement of spore traps and through regular updates courtesy of the Ontario Potato Board’s […] Read more
Alberta potatoes chip in $2.9 billion for Canadian economy
New report verifies what many in industry suspected
Alberta’s potato industry is making a big impact — not just on that province but the entire country. A new report — dubbed a “landmark study” by the Potato Growers of Alberta — revealed the sector drove a total contribution of $2.87 billion to Canada’s economy in 2022. It also notes the nationwide creation of […] Read more
Management of potato virus Y enters new stage
Researcher indicates seed potato producers are at greater risk
Potato growers in Ontario are under constant pressure to manage blight and rhizoctonia. Long-term research shows that potato virus Y, or PVY, is another disease of concern, particularly to potato growers with both seed and processing crops. PVY isn’t new to Ontario, but research shows strains are evolving. That is the finding of a study […] Read more
Minimizing fertilizer use with in-field plant nutrient analysis
Optical sensing technology scans plant leaves to identify crop nutrient and micronutrient deficiencies in less than five minutes
A New Brunswick precision agriculture startup has attracted $1.45 million in investment for its real-time nutrient tissue analysis technology. Picketa Systems’ trademarked Leaf Evaluated Nutrient System (LENS) has marked early success in potatoes and will expand its plant tissue sampling innovation into other crops to help farmers make more informed crop management decisions. Why it […] Read more
The emerging story on Ontario potatoes
Early planting in some regions has growers anticipating solid yields
Despite concerns that early planting may have been a little too early, reports from the Ontario Potato Board are favourable. Farmers in the southwestern part of the province planted potato crops last month that are now emerging after hit-and-miss weather through much of April. Why it matters: Timing of potato planting has varied widely across […] Read more
Vive Crop Protection receives first Canadian product registration
Canadian company developed unique technology that increases efficacy of active ingredients
A Canadian crop protection company, whose patented technology has its roots in research from the University of Toronto, has received its first Canadian product registration. Vive Crop Protection Inc.’s AZteroid FC 3.3 fungicide is labelled for in-furrow use on potatoes against black scurf, silver scurf, and rhizoctonia disease, and is available through UAP Canada. The […] Read more
Potato industry looking to diversify mini-tuber production
With closure of SPUD Unit, industry considers options
A well-known Ontario potato breeder is looking to enlist participants in the production of potato minitubers. Peter VanderZaag, a potato breeder with Sunrise Potato in Alliston, Ont., gave a presentation on minituber production at the Ontario Potato Conference March 2 in Guelph. With the impending closure of the University of Guelph’s SPUD Unit in New […] Read more
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