Planting cover crops improves soil structure and health, controls soilborne disease and weeds, reduces erosion and nutrient loss, and adds nitrogen. Dr Kelvin Montagu delivered an interactive online training course on cover crops for potato farmers and agronomists.

Upcoming events, tribute to Tony Biggs, demonstration site news, and new resource.

Join the PotatoLink webinar on Black dot (Colletotrichum coccodes) presented by Dr Julie Pasche, associate professor from North Dakota State University and plant pathologist Len Tesoriero from the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Autumn issue of the PotatoLink magazine now available, upcoming webinars and events, demonstration site update, new resources, and recent events.

Webinar: harvesting - bruise prevention and grading, event: BioBlitz pest and disease diagnostics (Tas), webinar: seed potatoes - seed storage and physiological age, and much more.

Frank Mulcahy explains during his interview with ABC Radio - Tasmanian Country Hour, that the parameters under which the varieties were chosen in the 1980s may be different to the parameters under which they are chosen now.

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. Read about the Mg mini trial in this PotatoLink magazine article.

Potatoes and sustainability go hand in hand, not only because carbon neutral potatoes are now for sale in the UK, but because they punch above their weight compared with other food staples when it comes to environmental impact. Discover more in this PotatoLink magazine article.

In Issue 04 of PotatoLink magazine, the Spud GP answers the question: Why are the insides of some of my tubers brown and soft? The helpful response includes a list of some of the common conditions that illustrate similarities between some tuber physiological disorders and diseases.

Growers need to prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead that arise from carbon emission management, particularly whether they can generate carbon credits from their operations. This PotatoLink magazine article discusses this with Adrian James from Natural Resource Management (NRM) who has been tracking the evolution of carbon farming options.

Views differ as to exactly what is meant by regenerative or sustainable agriculture. It may be argued that “sustainable” implies little or no change in the farming environment, whereas “regenerative” is focused on improvement but, in reality, the terms mean much the same. This PotatoLink magazine article discusses ecocentric and technocentric approaches.

This webinar presented by Dr Jenny Ekman from Applied Horticultural Research (AHR), and the WA Potato Growers Association’s Simon Moltoni will provide valuable insight into bruising of potatoes during and after harvest.

Managing the storage environment to optimise seed performance at planting is a complex process that requires thought and planning.

Dr Jenny Ekman from Applied Horticultural Research (AHR), Maarten van Delden from Tolsma Australia and Dr Nigel Crump from the Australian Seed Potato Industry Certification Authority (AuSPICA) talk about the importance of correct seed potato storage, optimal storage processes and conditions and management of physiological age.

This Soil Wealth & Integrated Crop Protection case study examines the role of phosphorus availability and uptake in a potato crop throughout the growing season. It shares the results of a trial in north-west Tasmania of a new liquid phosphorus fertiliser applied to processing potatoes in P-fixing soils.

Event: compost in agriculture – use of recycled organics, new PotatoLink regional representatives, cover crops for fresh market and processing potatoes in Australia, and much more.

In this Soil Wealth & Integrated Crop Protection (SWICP) webinar recording, you’ll hear from Kelvin Montagu, Doris Blaesing and Marc Hinderager about management options for the vegetable industry covering topics such as adding nitrogen using legumes, optimising fertiliser practices, reducing nitrogen fertiliser losses, soil testing and crop monitoring.

Project update from Peter O’Brien, potato grower tour to Scotland and Ireland – EOI, potato grower tour to Scotland and Ireland – EOI, and much more.