News on Research

Scientists at the International Potato Center (CIP) are shifting their focus to the long-term effects of COVID-19 to anticipate and understand how food systems may be impacted in the coming years.

Romain Cools, President, and CEO of the World Potato Congress Inc. (WPC) announces the appointment of three new Directors to its Board effective July 1, 2020: Dr. Nigel Crump, Australia, and Mrs. Elven Huang, China, both former WPC International Advisors, and Mr. Bret Nedrow, USA.

Starch Europe today welcomed the much-anticipated publication of the European Commission’s EU Farm to Fork Strategy. Starch Europe and its members strongly support the Commission’s climate neutrality ambition and the important role a more sustainable food system plays to achieve that objective.

HZPC is employing the services of a specialized robot in its fight against potato diseases and viruses within its breeding program.

Europatat welcomes the Farm to Fork Strategy published today by the European Commission. There is a need to secure a fair, healthy, and environmentally-friendly food system, a message that the potato sector fully endorses.

Due to the positive response and over-subscription of virtual meetings, Bühler has decided to keep the Bühler Virtual World open at least until the end of May. Over the three days, more than 12,000 people from 132 countries visited the digital platform, around 500 private meetings are ongoing.

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is to study wild potato varieties for resistance to a wide range of potato-diseases and plagues. This broad approach should yield breeding material that can be used to develop disease-free potato varieties.

In just six weeks, Bühler transformed its physical interpack program into a fully digital experience. It has certainly been a very steep learning curve for the company, but one that will give Bühler’s partners and customers access to new services.

AHDB’s announcement that it is consulting on the future of the Sutton Bridge Crop Research Station, and on potato storage research more broadly, should worry every potato grower in this country.

La décimoquinta edición de la feria PotatoEurope se va a celebrar este año el 2 y 3 de septiembre en la localidad francesa de Villers-Saint-Christophe. El evento se organiza cada año de forma rotatoria en Francia, Bélgica, Holanda y Alemania.

Volunteer potatoes are difficult to control. Currently, there are no herbicides available that will completely control volunteer potatoes and significantly reduce the number of daughter tubers produced per plant.

Addressing seed shortages for potato is a perennial challenge in many potato-producing countries. Potato seed systems rely on several successive generations of bulking seed tubers to produce commercial seed.

The utilization of U.S. grown potatoes increased by 3.3% in volume in 2019 compared to 2018, an increase of 1,183 million pounds.

COVID-19-related restaurant closures lead to ‘curtailment’ of french fry production. Cavendish Farms has advised the P.E.I. potato producers under contract to supply the company with spuds to 'sell to other markets if they can'.

Potatoes USA, the marketing and promotion board for the U.S. potato industry, elected its new leadership during its 48th Annual Meeting on March 11. The newly elected Chairman and Executive Committee will lead the 99 board members through 2020-2021.

Due to a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 21st EAPR Triennial Conference has been moved to fall. The new Conference date is November 2-6, 2020. Therefore, all key dates have also changed.

The plans for its creation were considered by an interdepartmental commission for the implementation of investment projects in the agricultural sector under the leadership of the Deputy Governor of the Tomsk Region for agro-industrial complex

An interview with co-editors, Dr. Hugo Campos, Director of Research and Oscar Ortiz, CIP’s Deputy Director General of Research and Development at the International Potato Center.