SCOTLAND'S Strategic Potato Farm (SPot) is getting ready to reveal its full trials programme to the potato industry at next week's Open Day.

Organised via AHDB, the nationwide SPot Farms are intended to drive research into practice through the demonstration of cutting-edge techniques – appropriate to the region and market sector – in a commercial-scale growing environment.

Bruce Farms in Perthshire joined the SPot network last year with an initial focus on cultivations, but 2017 has seen its work significantly expanded. AHDB knowledge exchange manager Claire Hodge explained: “We were able to launch SPot Farm Scotland a little early last year, which allowed us to carry out the initial cultivation trials. These threw up some exciting results which we will share with growers at the Open Day on Tuesday July 18.

“However, we will also be introducing attendees to the full 2017 programme. The cultivation trials have been continued this year, joined by four other trials on nutrition, cover crops and seed spacing and handling.”

Open Day attendees will learn more about this year’s trials as they tour the field, hearing from a host of respected experts who will present the varied technical programme, including scientist Dr Mark Stalham of NIAB CUF, who will focus on research into reducing cultivation depths, James Hutton Institute researcher Dr Blair MacKenzie, who will discuss cover crops, and blight expert Dr Alison Lees, who will discuss soil sampling and blight spore trapping.

For further information and details on how to register, visit the following link: https://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/events.