SRT NEWS

GQT:why have my stored potatoes sprouted?

2012-01-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

A: Grow varieties with long dormancy.
Gardeners' Question Time (Radio 4) team do not seem to realise that some varieties, like most of our Sarpo varieties, have a natural, long dormancy meaning that they can be stored in a cool dark place for up to seven months. Just think of the energy saving of not having to use a conventional, refrigerated potato store - think low carbon footprint. Many of the commonly grown varieties will sprout by Christmas if not treated with sprout suppressant or held at low temperatures of around 4C for sometimes 12 months. I wonder how many people know that supermarket potatoes are often treated with sprout suppressant?

If seed remains dormant in Spring, it can be stimulated to sprout in a warm (say 15 - 18C), light store before planting. If dormant seed is planted, plants may not emerge for many weeks.

Fact or rumour? Evidence that Sarpo potatoes are tasty

2012-01-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

Fact: blind tasting at the National Botanic Garden of Wales scored Axona above Desiree.
Fact: Moel Faban Supper Club says our Blue Danube is the “best roast potato ever” http://moelfabansecretsupperclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/best-roast-potatoes-ever-sarpo-blue-danube/
Fact: many people have a preference for waxy potatoes and others for floury potatoes (with plenty of butter or milk)
Fact: The Sarpo range now includes waxy, floury and intermediate potatoes.
Fact: the Prince of Wales grows a selection of Sarpos every year and enjoys them all at the Highgrove table.
Fact: Sarpos have been Thompson and Morgan’s best selling potatoes for years. People must like them.

Rumour: someone whispered that Sarpos don’t taste good. Is this because they think a worthy product must be hard to swallow?

We want you to taste our varieties; send us your evidence.

Evolving blight

2012-01-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

MD of Marshalls seeds has invited Mr Shaw (of SRT!) to buy “Super Blight Resistant Potato, Setanta”

Too bad that Setanta will die rapidly when Blue 13 blight strikes. Its foliage resistance is 4 (out of 9) and identical to susceptible Maris Piper. Yes, tuber resistance is good (9) but not much use if there is no foliage. Marshalls says Setanta “outstrips every Sarpo variety we’ve tasted” Maybe Marshalls do not like well flavoured, floury varieties and they cannot have tasted Sarpo Shona, Kifli or Blue Danube. Have a go, they taste great
http://moelfabansecretsupperclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/best-roast-potatoes-ever-sarpo-blue-danube/
Foliage blight resistance scores (British Potato Variety Database) have been revised to indicate resistance to the new commonest strain of P. infestans, Blue 13. Setanta scores 4 in recent trials but scored 8 (highly resistant) before Blue 13 was everywhere. Sarpo Mira now scores 8 (was 7) and Axona 7 (was 6). Note that scores can go up as well as down.

Alys says "Plant Sarpos and save the world".

2012-01-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

Alys Fowler, the well known garden writer and broadcaster has a bit in the Guardian today
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/13/alys-fowler-sarpo-potatoes?newsfeed=true
It is an accurate piece and is really quite a rave. Thanks Alys.

SRT now has a Twitter feed!

2011-12-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

You can now follow our @SarpoUK feed. Hope to talk to you soon on Twitter.

Open Day 2011 a great success

2011-07-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

Our ninth Open Day was on Friday 5 August when we welcomed about 50 guests to Henfaes to hear about the activities of the Trust over the last year.

The morning session was a series of talks:
David Shaw, Director of the Trust, welcomed guests and explained how the Trust was set up and what it aims to do to select potatoes and tomatoes resistant to late-blight disease. He explained that SRT belongs to a group of growers and entrepreneurs that have been developing a Welsh brand of potato crisps - Jones o Gymru (Jones from Wales). The crisps were launched at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in July this year. Sarpo growers in Wales will be providing potatoes for crisping in the coming months.

Simon White, Trials and Seed Manager, outlined how the new strains of blight including the superaggressive Blue 13, have overcome the resistance of many so-called resistant varieties. Simon explained how non-Sarpo resistant varieties now have official resistance scores that are substantially lower than they were a few years ago. In contrast, Sarpo scores have remained high or in some cases have actually increased.. Progress in multiplying Sarpo seed by Welsh farmers was highlighted and the Safe Haven status of the farms growing PreBasic as well as Basic Certified seed was explained. Sarpo varieties have great potential for seed exports and our first consignments have been despatched to Pakistan and Nepal this last year.

Moses Nyongesa, orginally from Kenya, told the meeting about his research on the evolution of the blight fungus, Phytophthora infestans. Moses is now a PhD candidate, registered at Bangor University, working at Henfaes and also at Teagasc in Carlow, Ireland. Moses is finding out what happens when the most common strains of blight, Blue 13 and Pink 6 are mixed and allowed to mate to form oospores in a polytunnel at Henfaes. The ability of oospores of the fungus to survive in the tunnel between crops is confirmed and the characteristics of hybrid blight generated in the tunnel is being defined.

Jamie Stroud introduced his project aimed at the breeding of new tomato varieties with late-blight resistance for outdoor cropping. Jamie will commence a KESS PhD studentship in October 2011. The project is a collaborative one between SRT, Bangor University and ProVeg Ltd of Cambridge.

Lunch was sponsored by Seedsmen Thompson and Morgan Ltd and was provided by the 1815 Deli in Bangor. Almost all of the delicious dishes featured one or other variety of freshly harvested Sarpo potatoes.Staff at Henfaes provided a continuous supply of freshly fried chips from Sarpo Mira and Blue Danube throughout lunch.

In the afternoon, visitors were shown a trial of Sarpo and other varieties infected with strain Blue 13 and a trial to determine how various levels of Nitrogen affect the growth.of the plants and the yeild and quality of the harvest of Sarpo varieties and control varieties. A preliminary trial of PAS100 composted green and food waste from a County Council composting facility was visited on sandy soil near the sea (Morfa Canol). It was clear that the Sarpo variety, Blue Danube, responded to the application of different amounts of compost by increasing growth. It remains to be seen how compost affects late-blight resistance of foliage and yield of tubers. Last but not least, guests were able to see a trial of well established varieties of tomato growing in the field. despite the cold summer weather, ripe fruit was forming on several varieties. The plants will soon be challenged by blight strain Blue 13, already present on potatoes growing in the same field.

GM Blight Resistance in the News

2010-08-31T23:12:00.000-07:00

BBC Five Live Drive and Radio 4 Farming Today have been discussing Jonathan Jones's Trial of transgenic Desiree in Norwich. SRT got in touch with Farming today and we got an interview today on Farming Today which allowed us to explain how our varieties are conventionally bred for blight resistance and are market ready. We explained how many of our growers had stopped growing susceptible varieties and had found that blight was a thing of the past.

Open Day on 6th August a great success

2010-08-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Around 60 potato enthusiasts attended on Friday to hear about the work of the Trust. David Shaw welcomed the guests and explained how blight was becoming more aggressive on potato crops and how Sarpo varieties were able to stand up to the severe blight pressures of the new blight strains over the past 3 years. David emphasised how the Sarpo varieties yield well with low inputs and so save money at all stages of production. Lower inputs mean lower carbon footprint in a crop that would normally accumulate a large carbon footprint and leave a residue of chemical pesticides in the environment.

Trials Manager, Simon White explained how Sarpo varieties are assessed and showed how potential new Sarpo varieties are compared with established varieties in the field. Simon presented evidence from trials in NW Wales and Cornwall this year and over the past few years and emphasised how many non-Sarpo resistant varieties no longer showed useful resistance when infected with the new virulent strains of blight. Simon outlined how PreBasic and Basic certified seed of all seven Sarpo varieties is being grown in north and mid - Wales to supply an increasing demand at home and abroad.

Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, one of our guest speakers, broke his holiday to attend. Tim outlined how governments in UK said they were committed to a providing home-grown, healthy food via sustainable agriculture but did not value the committment enough to even maintain support in recent months. He regretted lack of support for small companies like SRT, striving to make the growing of potatoes a lot more sustainable.

Dr Tina Barsby our other guest speaker is CEO and Director of National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge. Tina, an alumna of Agricultural Botany at Bangor University, outlined how earlier in her career, she had been involved in the improvement of potatoes using protoplast fusion techniques. Tina went on to tell us how NIAB scientists were involved with assessments of potato including Sarpos and with independent work for BASF in the assessment of blight-resistant, GM potatoes. A lively discussion followed on the pros and cons of the GM method of potato breeding.

Lunch gave guests the chance to find out how Sarpo potatoes taste. Chips from freshly harvested Sarpo Mira vanished as soon as they touched the table. Cocktail sticks armed with chunks of steamed Sarpo varieties allowed the flavours of different varieties to be compared.

After a dry start in North Wales followed by some 150mm of rain in July, our trials at Henfaes and on Anglesey have been spectacular in distinguishing the Sarpo varieties from other so called resistant varieties. The afternoon session was held at Glyn Farm, Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey by courtesey of Mr Roger Tebbutt. The trial compared the performance of Sarpo and non-sarpo varieties under heavy blight pressure. The epidemic here caused by the Blue 13 strain of blight had killed the foliage of all but the most resistant varieties and the latter were all Sarpo varieties and seedlings. We had a most satisfying afternoon with lots of discussion on the merits of each variety and managed to dodge the threatening rain.

Click photo to enlarge

Open Day 2010 - Friday 6th August

2010-07-08T08:54:00.001-07:00

Find out how you can BEAT BLIGHT, SAVE MONEY and SAVE THE PLANET

Where: Henfaes Research Centre, Abergwyngregyn (Exit 13 on the A55)

When: from 10a.m. onwards

PROGRAMME
Coffee served from 10a.m.

10.30a.m.
David Shaw and Simon White will talk about the work of the Trust including the latest news about late-blight disease, the breeding of new Sarpo varieties and growing of Sarpo seed

Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, City University of London will talk about Food Policy and Sustainability

Dr Tina Barsby, Director of Natl. Inst. Agricultural Botany will talk about new varieties and their assessment

Buffet lunch:
A chance to taste a range of Sarpo varieties: Sandwiches, CHIPS, Canapes and CHIPS

2.00p.m. Trials:
A conducted tour of one of our variety trials showing how Sarpos grow with heavy blight pressure

The meeting will finish around 4p.m.

Please let us know if you are planning to attend: shaw@sarvari-trust.org

All are welcome to this free event.

Our trial on Isle of Anglesey, July 5th

Click for larger image

...and on 28th July

Back to SRT website: http://www.sarvari-trust.org/