Organic potato production
Time: Tuesday, July 26th, at 12:30
Convener: Thorsten Haase, University of Kassel, Germany
Outline:
Organic potato cultivation in Europe is predominantly nitrogen-limited and defoliation of the crop canopy caused by late blight may further reduce tuber yield. The latter may lead to considerably lower yields compared to conventional potato crops and possibly lower N use efficiency. Previous research suggested that choice of cultivar, pre-sprouting, and application of copper fungicides are the most promising measures at hand to reduce yield losses associated with late blight. With a pending ban of copper or very strict limitations already in effect in some countries of the European Union, further sophisticated agronomic measures must be developed to increase productivity of organic potato cultivation.
In the workshop, the state of the art of research will be outlined, to be followed by a common discussion of future challenges in research and potential collaborations.
