TRADE AND MARKETING Secret of the cultivation of Scottish seed potatoes revealed Scottish growers lift directly into boxes. coming years. He also has great expectations of the Fontane variety that is growing fast in the Netherlands and Belgium. The LWM French-fries factory, which opened its doors two years ago, is already using them a lot. McCain arranges for its own seed potato cultivation A day later, when we enter the well-tended grounds of McCain in Montrose, we don’t smell the customary aroma of fresh prefried chips. The reason is that we have not arrived at the production plant but at the multinational’s seed potato multiplication and variety testing station. Colin Herron, CEO of the Scottish branch, explains that, by managing the cultivation of EXTRA LIGHT IN THE SUMMER During the summer period, Scotland has a day of extra light each week compared to the Netherlands. This is because of its higher location. According to Gibson of Agrico, that extra light is very much needed in order to obtain a satisfactory yield, as the growing season starts rather late. This is because the ground contains many stones, which first have to be removed. Only then can planting begin. That means a fairly short growing season. seed potatoes themselves, the excellent results safeguard the annual demand for around 800,000 tons of potatoes for the processing industry. ‘This year, 8 percent of seed potatoes from all growers were rejected due to Erwinia chrysanthemi (stem wet rot). For our 50 growers, this was less than 1 percent’, explains Herron. McCain annually grows 30,000 tons of seed on contract for its own use. Last year, the growers received a price of around 20 to 25 British pounds (approx. 30 euros) per 100 kilograms for their 35-50 mm-sized seed. The development of varieties is also an important topic at the Montrose branch. ‘Of course, we have worldwide consultations about the results of the variety tests, but we know that every area has its own cultivation results. That’s why, here in Scotland, we work closely together with the James Hutton Institute. They produce 100 crossings for us every year, from which 5,000 clones are planted. McCain also works closely together with the commercial company Cygnet breeders. We also collaborate actively with the local trading companies’, Herron explains. Despite all these efforts to develop improved varieties, McCain currently mainly grows only free varieties such as the Pentland Dell, Maris Piper and the Russet Burbank. The biggest protected varieties are Innovator, Morene and Markies. Storage with mechanical cooling Robert Doig’s storehouse is in Glenfarg, a stone’s throw from the coastal town of Perth. The boxes with the Valor seed are brought in on a flat wagon. They are then stacked, six boxes high, in the storehouse. The store already has the internal venPotato World 2012 • number 2 45 Pagina 44
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