SPot project continues with Long Sutton meeting in May.
GB Potatoes, in partnership with Potato Storage Insight and SDF Agriculture, is continuing to run the Strategic Potato (SPot) storage project this year.
This aim of this season’s project is to help refine potato storage practices using farm research and learning to fine tune practices. The partnership is running proactive demonstrations and activities to improve grower understanding of potato storage and help them maintain control of ever-increasing costs.
Following the launch event in December 2023, a further on-site meeting is to be held at Winters Lane Storage Ltd, Long Sutton, on May 14th, where various aspects of potato storage will be tested and monitored. This will be an opportunity for visitors to hear from Adrian Cunnington, of Potato Storage Insight and Simon Faulkner of SDF Agriculture talk through areas of the work they have been conducting at Winters Lane and the nearby Gedney Dyke stores.
Topics being covered will include cold storage strategies for fresh potatoes, featuring maleic hydrazide uptake and storage regimes such as cold temperatures and ethylene as well as other products. Store design in terms of air flow and the evenness of temperatures throughout the store as well as insulation, respiration and dormancy will also feature. Additionally, there will be a look at varieties from a PCN trial and how they have stored under the different regimes.
After a hog roast lunch where the other 21 partners in the project will be exhibiting, the companies will be on hand to discuss their businesses and what they can offer growers. There will also be the chance to travel to the nearby processing store at Gedney Dyke where two storage strategies have been used and to look at dormancy break. Respiration and weight loss information will be discussed as well as a look at fry colours from each storage regime.
Roger Stones from NFU Energy will be on hand to talk about energy use and saving and Richard Colgan will talk about the Produce Quality Centre pods that have been used to measure respiration.
For more details of times and address, and to book your place please visit the GB Potatoes website.
