Tag Archives: potato seed

HZPC members paid more than €3/kg for 2015 crop

Grower members of the Dutch potato breeder and seed producer co-operative HZPC Holland B.V. will receive a final confirmed price of €30.28 per 100 kg of seed produced during the 2015 harvest season.

The figure is 2.6 per cent higher than the provisional figure released at the end of March and is a significant increase on last year’s final price, although still more than €3 less than in 2013. The average yield last year was 42.9 tonnes per ha, higher than in previous seasons.

Gerard Backx, CEO of HZPC, explained, “Crop 2015 is characterized by the high yields. Compared to previous years, there were a lot of seed potatoes available. We are pleased to be able to announce that we sold a record quantity of these seed potatoes from the Dutch pool. The previous record sales volume was for Crop 2010, but current year’s volume of seed potatoes sold from the pool is 3% higher. Crop 2010 was somewhat comparable to the current season, with high yields per hectares and a favourable market. But for Crop 2015 the international market was certainly less willing than in 2010.

“Last year the European market for seed potatoes was very limited because of the low prices for ware potatoes. This season the European market has recovered to a demand of a regular size.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The post HZPC members paid more than €3/kg for 2015 crop appeared first on Hort News on 23 June 2016.

‘Managing Blackleg’ event big draw for Scottish growers

A workshop held by AHDB Potatoes in Scotland last month attracted 60 growers and industry representatives to Gordon Rhind’s farm at Forres in Morayshire.

Gerry Saddler of SASA has been working on secondment with AHDB Potatoes looking at Blackleg management. He advised attendees that, “Blackleg is a problem all over Northern Europe and it is by far the biggest reason for the downgrading and rejection of seed in this country. In Pre-Basic four crops (PB4), post-harvest surveys revealed that 100% of crops tested were infected with Pectobacterium atrosepticum, the Blackleg pathogen. We still don’t have all the answers [but]there is no ‘silver bullet’ and the Blackleg problem needs to be tackled from several angles in conjunction.”

AHDB Potatoes stresses that, ‘Seed health needs to take all variables into account. Tactics such as separation of PB fields for years 1 and 2, isolation of PB fields from outside sources and diagnostic testing for contamination on the tuber surface and systemically are recommended.’ Ian Tooth of the James Hutton Institute pointed out that it was important to ensure good drainage and to harvest high-grade stocks as early as possible.

The event was developed with the host farmer by AHDB Potatoes’ Technical Executive, Claire Hodge who is also working on the Blackleg research project. Claire commented, “This meeting clearly demonstrated that industry are keen to learn more about what research is underway to understand Blackleg and even more importantly, what they can do to minimise Blackleg in their seed crops.”

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