Potato Sprout Suppression 2020

Effective sprout suppression is fundamental to managing stored potato quality. In April 2015 over 65 potato industry movers and shakers including regulators and approval holders, gathered in York for AHDB, Potatoes Sprout Suppression 2020 forum to debate the future. The AHDB Potatoes is a division of the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board. For more than fifty years Great Britain has been heavily reliant on chlorpropham (CIPC), as a cost effective and efficient potato storage treatment. It is still used in over 90 per cent of all post-harvest sprout suppressant applications, but there has been a recent increase in the availability of alternatives to spread the risk and to find treatments that can replace or complement the stalwart product. Delegates at Sprout Suppression 2020 passionately debated the use of sprout suppressants over the next 5 years. The original article explains the regulatory landscape, indicating that CIPC is the main sprout suppressor used; it comes up for renewal of its registration in 2017 and the data package is already submitted. The UK industry is looking for alternatives. ?Total usage of CIPC is down by 51 per cent compared with surveys carried out in 2002 and 2006,? said Adrian Cunnington, head of Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research (SBCSR). ?However, as an industry we have to go further.? ?This season?s market situation makes reinvestment a challenge. But many of our growers may have to accept that their stores are no longer compliant with CIPC best practice, which ultimately may mean having to invest in modifications to improve airflow and, in some cases, positive ventilation.? A view from the US Idaho grows 120,000 hectares of potatoes, a similar area to Great Britain. The lion?s share of the plantings is for the processing sector, but fresh ware and seed is also grown. Potato storage expert Professor Nora Olsen, picture, from the University of Idaho, gave an insight from the States, where the US CIPC Maximum Residue Level (MRL) is set at 30mg/kg ppm, a level three times higher than afforded in the UK. Complete text, in the link or in the pdf.