SpudChat

This week's episode of Spudchat is a recording of Ryan Barrett's presentation from the 2026 International Potato Technology Expo in Charlottetown, PE. In this talk, Ryan discusses his research into the use of Minuet, an in-furrow biopesticide, for reduction of common scab symptoms in processing potato varieties. A video of this presentation, along with other IPTE presentations, is availa...

In this episode, Ryan talks with Erica Fava of AAFC Fredericton about AAFC's National Potato Breeding Program, and how variety development and evaluation is done in Canada. This includes work supported by the National Cluster Program under the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), with trials in 8 provinces across Canada. 

On this episode of Spudchat, Ryan talks with Steve Watts of Genesis Crop Systems here in PEI about some of his on-farm research into nutrient management, including implementing 4R nutrient management, investigating the use of enhanced efficiency nitrogen products, and now investigating the use of nitrogen-fixing bacteria products in potatoes. Steve is a professional agrologist and project lead und...

In this episode of Spudchat, we welcome back Dr. Judith Nyiraneza from AAFC Charlottetown to talk about manure and other soil amendments in potato rotation, including some of the work that she and her team have been doing through ACS Living Labs and other projects. We talk about a long term rotation trial comparing the use of manure compared with different cover crops, as well as some on-farm tria...

Spudchat is back for a new season!  In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Julie Pasche of North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND about Alternaria, commonly known as early blight and brown spot diseases. They discuss the differences between these pathogens and the diseases they cause, discuss differences in populations and fungicide resistance across the continent, and discuss management strateg...

This week on SpudChat, Ryan chats with Darin Gibson with Gaia Consulting in Manitoba. Darin and his wife Debbie do contract potato research, variety evaluation, potato breeding, and sugar testing services in Manitoba, and both are well-known in the MB potato industry and beyond. 

In this episode of Spudchat, Ryan talks with Chad Mooney, a potato farmer in Eastern Prince Edward Island about his journey back to the farm after time in the Canadian armed forces, how he is trying to use data from multiple sources to inform his decision making on the farm, and the multiple ways he is collecting that data, including the use of drone imagery. Chad also talks about using his DJI Ag...

Spudchat is back after a longer than anticipated hiatus! This week, we hear from Jonathan MacLennan of MacLennan Properties, West Cap and Brandon MacPhail of MacSull Farms, New London, to hear how their crops are looking so far this year, as well as hear about new projects underway on their farms. If you have feedback about Spudchat, please feel free to contact us at ryan@peipotato.org.

In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan Barrett chats with Kelvin Montagu of Applied Horticultural Research in Australia about regenerative agriculture at the World Potato Congress, held in late June in Adelaide, Australia.   This recording was done by the folks at PotatoLink, the Australian potato industry extension project.  You can find out more about PotatoLink at https://potatolink.com.au, and you...

In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Aitazaz Farooque, Professor of Precision Agriculture with the University of Prince Edward Island.  Aitazaz has been a frequent collaborator on research projects with the PEI potato industry, including research into the use of soil electroconductivity (EC) for creating management zones, uses those zones for variable rate fertility or seed spacing, investigating...

In this episode of Spudchat, we talk to Dr. Ian Scott of AAFC in London, Ontario about insecticide resistance in Colorado potato beetles.  Ian was part of a team that worked for the last five years to test potato beetles from across Canada for resistance to commonly used insecticides, uncovering some very interesting results.  We talk about those results and the next steps in managing these persis...

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Tyler MacKenzie of Agricultural Certification Services in Fredericton, NB to talk about the work that their team is doing on PVY, including some research into aphicide resistance that they did for us here in PEI last year.  Tyler also talks about using new lab techniques to identify Verticillium and nematodes, which cause potato early dying.

In this episode of Spudchat, we head "across the pond" again to speak with Martyn Cox, an independent agronomist in England who has been working hard to figure out how to manage wireworm, which has become more of an issue in recent years.  Martyn has been collaborating with folks in PEI for the last few years to inform how they improve their IPM strategies back in the UK.  Martyn updates...

Spudchat is back!  Apologies for the hiatus, but looking forward to bringing you more potato chat this year. In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Mark Stalham of Mark Stalham Potato Consultancy in the United Kingdom.  Mark worked for many years at Cambridge University Farm and then NIAB CUF before starting his own private agronomy consulting firm.  Mark has presented in PEI before and has a great...

In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan talks with Dr. Mario Tenuta from the University of Manitoba about Potato Early Dying complex (PED).  Mario was the lead for Canadian Potato Early Dying Network (CanPEDNet) project as part of the FVGC National Cluster for the last five year, and included research happening here in PEI.  They talk about some of the key findings from the research project, as well as...

In this episode of SpudChat, we hear from Greg Donald, General Manager of the PEI Potato Board from a presentation Greg made at the 2023 PEI Potato Conference.  Greg provides an update on the ongoing potato wart investigation, the results of the International Panel report on potato wart in PEI, and how this informs the path forward toward resuming seed shipments from the Island to the rest of Cana...

This episode features another of our presenters from the 2023 PEI Potato Conference in Summerside on February 13th.  Today, we hear from Anne Verhallen of OMAFRA in Ridgetown, Ontario, talking about practical approaches to soil health.  Anne is a well-renowned expert on cover cropping and soil health improvement, working primarily with horticulture crop producers in South-Western Ontario.  Anne di...

On this bonus episode of SpudChat, we're pleased to share an episode of the Tuber Talk podcast from Potatoes in Canada that was recorded in late 2022.  In this episode, Ryan Barrett talks about research and extension projects on cover crops and improving soil health in potato rotations with Bree Rhody. You can find Tuber Talk at https://www.potatoesincanada.com/podcast-category/tuber-talk/ or...

This week on SpudChat, we bring you the audio from another of our presentations at the PEI Potato Conference in Summerside on February 13th, 2023.  In this episode, we hear from Dr. Claudia Goyer of AAFC in Fredericton, NB.  Claudia has been leading a national research project into common scab for the past five years, investigating both the populations of the bacteria that cause common scab as wel...

SpudChat is back!  Over the next couple of weeks, we're sharing some of the presentations from the 2023 PEI Potato Conference, held in Summerside on February 13th.  First up is Dr. Mathuresh Singh of Agricultural Certification Services in Fredericton, NB to talk about PVY and why it was such a problem in 2022.  Mathuresh covers a number of reasons why PVY levels might be so elevated from last...

This week, Ryan talks with Dr. Andrew McKenzie-Gopsill, Weed Scientist with AAFC Charlottetown about a range of weed-related topics, including herbicide rotation and efficacy, herbicide timing, and some of the interesting cultural and mechanical weed seed destruction research that Andrew is working on.

On this episode of SpudChat, Ryan Barrett provides and update on the crop following the first Crop Update Meeting of the year, hosted by the PEI Dept of Ag.  Recorded July 7th, 2022.

In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan Barrett walks through some of the funding available for farmers under the On Farm Climate Action Fund, administered in PEI by the PEI Federation of Agriculture. Full details available at www.peifa.ca/ofcaf

SpudChat is back with a new episode, and this week we bring back the grower check-in, where we talk with PEI potato farmers from across the province to hear how things went this planting season, and what's new for this year. This week, Ryan is joined by Jonathan MacLennan from West Cape, Chris MacAulay from Chepstow, and Andrew Lawless from Shamrock.

In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan talks with Michele Konschuh from the International Potato Tech Expo in Charlottetown about irrigation management following her presentation on March 30th.  Michele is an irrigated crop researcher with the University of Lethbridge.