News on Potato Cyst Nematodes from United Kingdom

January 21, 2023

PCN and blackleg main topics at Cambridge potato conference

Potato industry challenges posed by PCN and blackleg were among the topics discussed at the recent Cambridge University Potato Growers’ Association (CUPGRA) annual conference.

GBP 2.2 Million new funding to safeguard Scotland's potato and bulb industries

August 23, 2021

GBP 2.2 Million new funding to safeguard Scotland's potato industry from Potato Cyst Nematodes (PCN)

After the Plant Health Centre led a working Group to identify a clear strategy for dealing with the Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) crisis, a report was delivered to the Scottish Government.

March 12, 2021

Scottish Government working group presents plan to combat Potato Cyst Nematodes

New research to tackle the growing scourge of Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) has been identified by a specialist Scottish Government working group.

December 11, 2018

AHDB Potato Specialist Mike Storey to retire

After some 36 years with AHDB and its predecessor organisations, Potato Specialist Mike Storey is going to retire at Christmas. His colleague Adrian Cunnington looks back...

October 18, 2018

Bill Watts joins AHDB as Knowledge Exchange Manager focused on Potatoes

Bill Watts has joined AHDB as Arable Knowledge Exchange Manager (Potatoes) for the West Midlands, South West and Wales.

March 18, 2018

How reliable are Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) tests?

Although PCN testing of soil for seed potato cultivation is typically strictly regulated, different procedures are in use for the testing of soil for ware potatoes - and which one is used has huge consequences for the reliability.

AHDB PCN Calculator to be improved with new scenarios and more data on the resistance and tolerance of potato varieties

January 28, 2018

AHDB PCN Calculator to be improved with new scenarios and more data on resistance and tolerance of potato varieties

A research project aims to improve the accuracy of the ‘AHDB Potatoes potato cyst nematode (PCN) pallida calculator’ which is currently used as an educational forecasting tool for potato growers in the United Kingdom.

May 11, 2017

The Sainsbury Laboratory received approval for a four-year trial of genetically modified (GM) potatoes

In the United Kingdom, farming minster George Eustice (DEFRA) has approved a four-year trial of genetically modified (GM) potatoes at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich.

June 14, 2016

Potato parasite’s `toolkit’ revealed

An international group of researchers has detailed the genome sequence and inner workings of the yellow Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN), providing new insights into how it can be stopped.

January 21, 2016

AHDB Fellowship to safeguard critical potato nematology expertise in the United Kingdom

Dr Jon Pickup, Head of Virology & Zoology at Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) will lead on one of three AHDB Potatoes Fellowship Awards, specifically seeking to secure critical potato nematology expertise for the future.

Maris Piper (Courtesy: Potato Council Variety Database / SASA)

June 10, 2015

The Quest to Engineer the Perfect Potato

Researchers in the United Kingdom aim for a new commercial potato that resists many of the worst vulnerabilities of potato crops around the world.

July 30, 2014

New international collaboration helps protect potatoes against nematodes

Experts from the UK and India are working together to identify and develop novel environmentally-sustainable strategies to control plant pests, known as plant-parasitic nematodes to ensure global food production and security.

Potato Cyst Nematode (Globodera rostochiensis)

October 01, 2012

PCN resistance among targets of new potato breeding business in the UK

Plant breeding business KWS marked its formal entry into potato breeding in the UK last week, with a demonstration of up-and-coming varieties and an outline of its key breeding objectives for the potato crop.

June 01, 2010

Mustard Crop cuts potato cyst nematode population

Field-scale trials of a biofumigant mustard crop have given around 50% potato cyst nematode suppression, Andy Barker of Barworth Agriculture told growers. PCN control had become more difficult, particularly since the suspension of use of the soil ste...

April 09, 2010

Trials with GM Potatoes resistant to PCN in United Kingdom approved

The government has given the green light to scientists to undertake a trial of genetically modified potatoes.Researchers will grow a trial crop of potatoes genetically modified to resist infection by potato cyst nematodes.DEFRA granted approval to scie...