Consumer quality requirements in the United Kingdom

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The commercial success of a new variety depends upon a number of factors, including field and storage characteristics and its suitability for a particular market or use. Information on some of these aspects is obtained by National List trials and the more comprehensive Recommended List trials of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) (Richardson, this volume). However, detailed information on the bulk harvesting and storage properties and the consumer acceptability of a new variety is not usually available until it is grown on a commercial scale. This may be several years after initial acceptance on to the National List and to bridge this gap the Potato Marketing Board (PMB) carries out a series of commercial scale trials and surveys.

TRIALS

Trials are grown from seed of common origin as part of the UK collaborative trial system. New varieties and their controls are grown according to local practice on collaborating farms in large plots (0.2 ha) for 2 years. Three sites are used for first and second early varieties and five for maincrop varieties. After harvest, produce of second early and maincrop varieties is transported to Sutton Bridge Experimental Station, where samples are taken for damage and quality assessments. Approximately 6 tonnes per variety and site are stored in 1-tonne pallet boxes at 7°C for between 4 and 5 months. CIPC is used for sprout control.

Damage levels, disease incidence and ware out-turns are assessed before and after storage.