New Research is Aiming to Ensure Consistent Supplies of Potatoes Throughout the Year
With a project that focuses on potato dormancy and increasing storage life, new research is aiming to ensure consistent supplies of potatoes throughout the year. About 1.5m tons of potatoes are kept in cold storage for up to eight months in order to avoid sprouting and ensure year-round supplies in the UK.
Yet, since the withdrawal of CIPC, a pesticide that suppresses sprouting, vegetable losses have doubled, and potato storage time has been reduced by half to four months.
Cranfield University researchers, in collaboration with PepsiCo and Solynta, a hybrid potato breeding pioneer, are employing advanced genetic analysis to address the issues of maintaining crop quality while increasing storage life. The project’s goal is to tackle the problem of keeping potatoes inactive for extended periods of time while using fewer chemicals, and energy, and producing less food waste.
The effort to improve potato dormancy, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) prosperity partnership fund, brings together geneticists, plant biologists, and technologists.
The team aims to develop new potato varieties and storage methods that extend storage life, reducing food waste and ensuring year-round supply, lowering energy consumption by minimizing the environmental impact of cold storage and reducing chemical use by promoting sustainable agriculture practices.
The study’s findings should help inform global storage strategies, with changes based on regional variances in harvest periods and facilities.
“By reducing chemical use and improving energy efficiency in storage, we’re safeguarding the future of potato farming making it safer for the end consumer. This approach will not only cut waste but also support the environment. It will ensure a year-round supply of safer and higher quality potatoes for consumers and make sure the nation can enjoy crisps, chips, and mash uninterrupted,” Mari Carmen Alamar Gavidia, Senior Lecturer in Postharvest Biology from Cranfield University, mentioned.
“Mitigating food waste is a key piece of the puzzle to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This grant is a testament to the longstanding applied research Cranfield has provided to the GB potato industry over many years,” Professor Leon Terry, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at Cranfield University, concluded.
