© BioPotatoes Limited

Cobstone, 17 Winsley Road, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire BA15 1QS
Tel: (44)1225-862129 - email

Better potato varieties are needed by

Biodiversity and the environment

Growers have little choice - if they want a good crop they generally need use fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and sometimes PGRs.

For instance, growers are forced to spray up to 15 times a season to keep late blight in check. There are question marks against most fungicides on human and wildlife health.

On much traditional potato growing land, yield-damaging nematodes are now present – forcing farmers to use less suitable land instead – often with a 15-20% yield penalty.

If herbicides are not used, weed control becomes dependent on cultivations, with negative impacts of soil structure and sometimes an increase in soil erosion.