Researchers at the University of Durham have developed a testing kit that measures the potential for bruising in potatoes. The new testing method is much faster than traditional methods of damage assessment such as hot box and bruise barrel tests, with results produced in less than four hours. It is widely hoped that the new system will lead to significant savings in the potato industry; it has already attracted interest from the government and major industry players.
Potato blackspot bruising is a major problem for potato growers and processors. Impact damage to susceptible tubers during harvesting and transport causes the blue-black pigments that can make a crop unacceptable for processing or consumer markets. This leads to enormous costs to the growers and a significant disposal problem. It is estimated that blackspot bruising results in losses of £30 million a year in the UK alone.
It is difficult to predict the condition of a crop while still in the soil and in many cases severe bruising only becomes apparent once the crop has been lifted and placed in storage. Early prediction of the status of the crop in the field could save at least 50 per cent of these losses by identifying those crops most at risk.
Backed by a partnership of key players in the UK potato industry, the University of Durham researchers have identified a biochemical reaction that occurs in potatoes when they are impact damaged (see pic). They have found a direct link between the level of this reaction in impacted tubers and the potential for bruising in crops, before they are lifted.
This discovery has led to the creation of a simple testing kit which can be used in a packhouse or even in the back of a vehicle. It will enable growers to predict bruising levels before lifting and handling has started. With a test time of less than four hours, this will allow accurate testing and harvesting to take place in the same day.
Tim Berry of partner organisation MBM Produce says: “There is an awful lot to be gained from understanding and preventing bruising. This kit should at last help agronomists understand why seemingly identical crops in adjoining fields can behave very differently, with one crop bruising badly while the next door liftings are damage-free. Armed with this understanding, crop management techniques can be refined to keep bruising at bay.”
In a £500,000 LINK programme funded by Defra and the British Potato Council, a consortium of scientists and industry specialists are collaborating to develop the test procedure into a commercial product known as Blackspot Protect. The consortium comprises scientists at the University of Durham and Adas Consulting Ltd, four major potato processors and packers: Branston Potatoes Ltd, Greenvale AP, McCain Foods (GB) Ltd, and MBM Produce Ltd, the agricultural engineering company Martin Lishman Ltd and Tesco plc.
Aspects of the kit are currently being evaluated in field tests conducted by the project’s commercial partners. So far the test has been used successfully on thirteen varieties of potatoes, including the economically important varieties Russet Burbank, Maris Piper and Cara.
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