A new research facility for crop storage has been built at the James Hutton Institute's Invergowrie site.

The unit has six units, which each hold four tonnes of crop for testing and research. The building is part of the Crop Storage and Post-harvest Solutions (CSPS) facility network located at three sites in the UK.

It is a partnership between the James Hutton Institute, ADAS, CHAP and the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich. Research into potato storage was dramatically reduced following the industry vote to scrap the potato levy with AHDB and this collaboration hopes to fill that gap.

The facility is currently being tested before it will be used for research and trials and will be managed the Advanced Plant Health Growth Centre. Capital investment has been secured by CHAP with funding from Innovate UK, additional funding at the Hutton has come from the Scottish Government.

The facilities offer the capability to simulate supply chain environments with accurate control and monitoring of storage environments, such as temperature, humidity and atmospheric composition. Once fully operational, they will be utilised for both existing and new scientific and commercial projects throughout the agricultural and horticultural value chain to develop strategies to improve crop handling and storage, retain quality and reduce losses.