Make a date as we reveal the results of our trials
Results from our PCN tolerance and resistance trials at SPot West at Heal Farms, Shropshire, will be revealed on January 18.
Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are some of the biggest threats facing the potato industry. Testing has improved in recent years and as we take more soil from the field, PCN can be found earlier in an infestation, allowing action to be taken promptly.
Our Results event on January 18 will see guest speakers from Harper Adams University and myself and Sue Cowgill revealing results of our tolerance trial, which will look closely at yields and effect on egg numbers of the varieties Maris Piper, Maris Peer, Alcander, Arsenal, Performer, Eurostar, Innovator and Royal.
Over the summer, AHDB has held two open events, which have provided updates on a range of on-farm demonstrations in order to help visitors to make informed decisions about their own pest management.
Providing fresh focus, these events offered a forum for scientists, growers, agronomists and other experts to discuss control methods and how the threat of infestation can be indicated.
In the absence of a host, eggs hatch over an extended period, so that the numbers left viable decline each year. When potatoes are grown, specific chemicals exuded by the roots of both susceptible and resistant cultivars stimulate most (up to 90 per cent) of the eggs to hatch. Juvenile nematodes are attracted to potato root tips, invade them and feed within them.
This causes much of the damage to the crop, by stunting root growth and reducing uptake of nutrients and water from the soil. This feeding can cause considerable yield loses without necessarily producing large numbers of cysts, especially in resistant, intolerant varieties.
While there is no single method of PCN control, most experts will recommend an "integrated approach." Local and historical conditions will have a large impact on the final mix of methods chosen.
In much of our industry, potatoes are grown on rented land where often the grower has little influence in controlling volunteer potatoes in subsequent rotations thus allowing the PCN lifecycle to continue. It becomes vital to test for PCN in this situation, and we would recommend testing a minimum of 50 cores per hectare grid.
SPot West emphasises varietal resistance control above all others. In most situations of severe infestation, use of resistant varieties is crucial for control of PCN. When growing a resistant variety the long-term benefit, the current crop yield and how to conserve it becomes the crucial concern.
Please keep an on our event pages - potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/events
Anne Stone is AHDB Potatoes Knowledge Exchange Manager
