Last year farmers in the UK harvested almost 6 million metric tons of potatoes. But farmers and researchers are concerned that threats including diseases and climate change pose a serious risk to the amount of potatoes the nation will be able to grow in the future.
Late blight is a fungal disease that thrives in wet weather. British growers spend about £20 million a year on fungicides to contain the disease. Fields sometimes need to be sprayed as often as 15 times in a growing season, which is not only expensive for farmers, but also environmentally unsustainable. Climate change is predicted to impact potato production and worsen current challenges such as water availability and loss of top soil.
What will reductions in summer rainfall mean for potatoes in the UK? What are the tools available to combat blight and other diseases? Is it going to be possible to create potatoes that are resistant to late blight? What would changing potatoes in this way do to other potato characteristics; would they taste the same? Would they make good chips?
On Monday, June 22, Sense About Science will be running a live Q&A with a panel of scientists who are all researching different ways to protect potatoes.
If you have a question to ask you can email, Tweet (use #PlantSci) and Facebook live that day. These Q&As are always busy, so questions are welcomed in advance.
Click here to go to the online location at which the Q&A will take place. The Q&A will occur June 22 from 1 to 2 p.m. local time (8 to 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time).
Click here to learn more about the panelists taking part in the Q&A.
Source: Sense About Science