PotatoLink

Moisture probes act as a kind of yardstick, helping farmers align their field observations with real moisture data. They can also help optimise irrigation practices.  Using moisture data, farmers can time irrigation to match the actual water needs of their crops. This precise approach has the potential to boost crop yields significantly – essentially aligning human judgment with data driven precis...

PotatoLink recently attended the World Potato Congress where regenerative agriculture was a major topic. Two of the presenters, Dr Kelvin Montagu from Applied Horticultural Research, and Ryan Barrett from the Prince Edward Island Potato Board, discuss their experiences with regenerative agriculture in potatoes. This conversation covers the main topics that came from the various presentations and p...

In 2022 PotatoLink hosted a grower tour to the 2022 World Potato Congress (WPC) in Dublin, Ireland. Lachlan Heysen, a grower from south east South Australia, attended. In this podcast he speaks with PotatoLink team member Ryan Hall about their experiences and learnings from the congress. They also discuss the upcoming congress in Adelaide. Read more about the World Potato Congress in PotatoLink Ma...

Back in 2023 the PotatoLink team ran a biological product demonstration at the PotatoLink Springbank demonstration site. A mycorrhizal fungi product was applied. Following the results from the 2022 Bolwarrah demonstration site, changes to the fertiliser and fungicide programs were made.  Join PotatoLink team members Stephanie Tabone and Kelvin Montagu as they discuss the results of the demonstrati...

Breeding a new potato variety is not easy. For starters, whereas most plants have two copies of each gene, potatoes have four. As a result, potatoes have a particularly large and complicated genome. Finally sequenced in 2011, a printout on paper would cover the distance from Melbourne to Cairns! Growing and screening new varieties takes time and space, making it both expensive and slow.  Researche...

Tim Walker, WalkerAg Consultancy, Tasmania Worldwide there are 570 species of oxalis and approximately 30 species in Australia. Recently, PotatoLink's Tasmanian regional representative Tim Walker, has noticed that one type of Oxalis, ( Oxalis latifolia ) known as fishtail wood-sorrel, is becoming a problem on more and more properties in Northern Tasmania. In late March 2023, PotatoLink and VE...

Marc Hinderager, 4 Leaf Ag, Applied Horticultural Research, Cowra NSW Magnesium (Mg) is essential to plants. It is strongly involved in photosynthesis and transporting carbohydrates from leaves to roots, which is particularly important for tuber development. Yet, it may be overlooked within fertiliser programs focused on N, P and K. In this Podcast Stephanie Tabone from the PotatoLink project and...

Chad Hutchinson, TriCal, Indiana United States of America In this episode, Applied Horticultural Research's Dr Jenny Ekman discusses soil fumigation with Chad Hutchinson of the TriCal group. This podcast was recorded at the 2023 Ballarat growing better potatoes workshop. You can view recordings from this event here: https://potatolink.com.au/resources/growing-better-potatoes-workshop-recordin...

Marc Hinderager, 4 Leaf Ag, Applied Horticultural Research, Cowra NSW Potassium is essential for many processes in both plants and the human body. If people want potassium they most likely reach for a banana. However, the best source of potassium is actually the potato, with approximately 600 mg per medium-sized tuber. In this Podcast Stephanie Tabone from the PotatoLink project and AHR talks to N...