Restrain has presented the latest field trial work involving its AccumulatR potato seed treatment, as the company prepares to demonstrate the technology at Potatoes in Practice in Scotland.

The agricultural technology supplier held an open day in partnership with Cockerill’s at Malton, North Yorkshire, on July 23. Growers, seed producers, agronomists and other potato industry representatives attended the event to inspect trial plots and discuss the treatment’s potential to improve seed efficiency and marketable yield.

Gavin Prentice of SAC Consulting, Restrain’s trials partner, provided an update on the current growing season and discussed observations from ongoing field trials.

AccumulatR is an in-store treatment that combines controlled ethylene application with temperature management before planting. Restrain recommends treating seed potatoes for at least 120 days, although information published elsewhere on the company’s website describes a treatment period of 90 to 120 days.

The treatment is intended to break apical dominance and encourage more eyes on the seed tuber to produce sprouts. According to Restrain, this can increase the number of stems produced by each seed tuber and consequently the number of daughter tubers formed by the plant.

The company said treated seed can also emerge earlier and more uniformly, contributing to a more consistent distribution of tuber sizes. Its commercial focus has primarily been on seed multiplication and salad potato production, where a larger proportion of the harvested crop must fall within relatively narrow size specifications.

Trials presented during the open day included the Sagitta and Lady Rosetta varieties. Restrain said the technology has been used commercially in the UK for more than 20 years and has been applied to more than 200 potato varieties.

The company is now investigating whether the same approach could improve seed efficiency in ware production. The trials are examining whether increasing the number of stems produced by individual seed tubers could allow growers to reduce planting rates while maintaining the target stem population.

“With continued pressure on growers to get more value from every hectare, improving seed efficiency has never been more important. AccumulatR™ has been delivering proven results for over 20 years, helping growers increase tuber numbers, improve size distribution and ultimately achieve higher marketable yields. We’re looking forward to demonstrating those results at Potatoes in Practice and discussing the latest trial work with growers,” said Nathan Edgar, product manager for AccumulatR at Restrain.

Restrain will present demonstration plots at Potatoes in Practice on August 13 at the James Hutton Institute’s Balruddery Farm in Invergowrie, near Dundee. The plots will include Cara, Hermes, Lady Rosetta, Innovator, Maris Peer, King Russet and Brooke, covering seed-for-seed, seed-for-salad and selected seed-for-ware applications.

Potatoes in Practice is hosted by the James Hutton Institute through the National Potato Innovation Centre, in partnership with SRUC and Agrii. The 2026 event will focus on future-proofing the potato industry and will include field trials, research exhibits and technical seminars.

Further AccumulatR trial work involving 19 varieties is scheduled to be shown at the SAC Potato Trials Open Day at West Fingask, Aberdeenshire, on September 2.