Bruising to potatoes costs the UK potato supply chain up to £26 million each year. Reducing this avoidable loss should be a major focus for all who handle crops, right from harvesting to the retail shelf. The British Potato Council (BPC) is spearheading and investing in a major campaign to lower the £200/hectare loss caused through bruising by working with supply chain companies to tackle the issue this harvest.
BPC knowledge transfer manager Dr Rob Clayton points out that consumers do not like bruised and damaged produce. Unsightly defects and having to peel and cut away a potato is both wasteful and severely dents the reputation of the industry.
“At farm level, while advice has been around for decades, the BPC through consultation of the industry now knows that even basic measures can help remedy the problem,” says Clayton. “The skills and technology are available to reduce losses while meeting buyers’ demands for volume. In addition, the fruits of new research will help, but there is still no substitute for getting the basics right. Minimising downgrades and rejections will help the UK industry remain competitive with imports,” he adds.
Potato growers responding to a recent BPC survey put their losses associated with bruising at £200/hectare. One buyer reported a three-fold increase in costs to more than £1m. Both growers and buyers earmarked 2003 as one of the worst they can remember for bruising. Six out of 10 growers and 82 per cent of buyers last year saw a sharp increase in bruising.
Between them, the growers and purchasers who responded to the survey grow 11,000ha of potatoes, purchase 1.1mt and provide management advice across a further 25,500ha.
To help growers supply the industry with a quality product tailored to their buyers’ requirements the BPC has produced a comprehensive Minimising Bruising kit packed full of practical advice and guidance for growers to make their own risk assessments and make more informed agronomic decisions.
BPC agronomist Kate Jackson, who has helped write and co-ordinate the production of the kits that will be sent to growers before harvest, says eight out of 10 potato growers make their own risk assessments for potato bruising, but 85 per cent of growers agree that a better understanding is required of how crop agronomy affects bruising susceptibility.
“To help growers the kit contains 13 advice guides that cover the key agronomic factors that should be assessed to minimise bruising this harvest. The back to basics advice has been written by agronomists and is supported by BPC-funded research and development,” says Jackson. “The weeks prior to harvest are crucial and regular checks need to be made to assess the risk of bruising including soil moisture at burn-off, tuber dry matter, soil type and variety. Knowing the risks and acting upon them could see a considerable reduction in avoidable losses. Each field should be assessed on its own merits. The risk assessment advice sheets offer practical advice plus how to obtain further detail on each subject.”
The BPC survey showed that delaying potato harvesting while soil temperatures increase and irrigating crops just prior to harvesting to raise soil moisture levels are just two measures more growers would seriously consider to reduce potato bruising. “Many growers already follow these practices, but a mind-set still exists that getting the crop out of the ground is more important than considering the implications of bruising. BPC R&D suggests otherwise,” she says. “The BPC survey may show a current lack of faith in some agronomy techniques, however 86 per cent of respondents to the survey agree and strongly agree that the industry needs to understand more about how crop agronomy affects potato susceptibility to bruising.
“Much of the agronomic information is available and it is backed by sound science. To convince growers we shall continue to work with agronomists and supply chains to present the arguments for using agronomy effectively. A cross-industry campaign to tackle bruising and a back-to-basics approach were supported by almost 80 per cent and 81 per cent of respondents to the BPC survey, respectively,” she says.
The survey showed 44 per cent of respondents would turn to their agronomist for advice if they had a problem with bruising and 46 per cent would contact their buyer.
Because of the severity of the issue, eight out of 10 growers also support the investment of BPC research and development projects concerning bruising. “Information in the kit is supported by R&D like the BPC-funded Bruising in a Commercial Environment (BRUCE) study - a three year project aimed at identifying the agronomic factors that influence bruising susceptibility. Results of work from SAC, NIAB and Durham University is also used,” says Jackson.
Agronomy should not be viewed in isolation, but in combination with machinery set up and thorough staff training, she concludes.
Clayton says a fifth of permanent farm staff receive no specific training to reduce bruising while 40 per cent of casual staff either get very occasional training or none at all. He advises growers to use the time before harvest to refresh harvester operator skills and talk to casual staff about the importance of bruising to your business and how to reduce it. Harvester operators have a major role to play and where the operator is employed the onus lies with owners and managers to provide support and training.
The BPC Minimising Bruising kit contains helpful advice for owners and their staff to follow. The BPC survey showed a third of growers would be prepared to spare half a day to train the workforce and 14 per cent said they would put at least a day aside, while 27 per cent felt one hours’ training would be sufficient.
Casual staff are employed mainly to grade potatoes (64 per cent) while 55 per cent drive trailers, 17 per cent level trailers and boxes and 10 per cent load stores.
“Invariably these critical tasks carried out by casual staff can take a lower priority in terms of bruising risk assessment. These are all tackled by the BPC kit ensuring that all staff know they have a major part to play in minimising bruising,” says Clayton.
“The Minimising Bruising kit has been produced with the help and guidance of growers. About 84 per cent of respondents to the survey said they would make use of training posters, stickers and advice sheets from the BPC. In addition to the survey growers helped decide the key messages to appeal to their staff. In their view, clear and concise wording and images on stickers, posters and daily checklists would make the issue unavoidable while staff go about their daily routines. Growers also told us that harvesting potatoes is a team effort so communication is vital from the field to grading to storage. To help minimise bruising, 39 per cent of growers said they check their harvester every few hours during harvesting while a further 52 per cent check machines daily. When faced with a high risk of bruising, 27 per cent of all respondents would adjust their machinery. What’s more, one in two growers has used an electronic potato on their machinery to assess where damage occurs.
For advice about bruising, growers responding to the survey predominately turn to machinery manufacturers (61 per cent), followed by an agronomist (44 per cent) and their crop buyer (42 per cent).
To help harvester drivers further, the BPC has already discussed the survey results with machinery manufacturers. Machinery manufacturers are supporting the drive to minimise bruising and, in turn, want to help find solutions. What’s more, they are backing a BPC-produced guide to harvester set-up and operation. The comprehensive, practical guide is being written by machinery expert Fraser Milne of SAC, a leading authority of potato harvesters and their set up.
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