Bootstrapped input efficiency use of specialized potato production in Kosovo

This study established the level of technical efficiency and its determinants among the informal and formal seed potato producers in the southwestern highlands agro - ecological zone of Uganda. A multi- stage sampling procedure was employed to select 636 households (499 informal seed producers and 137 formal seed producers) from which data was collected for two seasons using a semi - structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the stochastic frontier approach with a one - step approach. Maximum likelihood estimates for the efficiency parameters showed that both informal and formal seed potato producers were not fully efficient. The mean technical efficiency for informal and formal seed potato producers was 8 1 .4 and 80.4 percent respectively. In terms of yield loss, informal and formal seed potato producers respectively lost an average of 981 and 1,208 kg/acre of seed potato tubers due to inefficiency factors . Specifically, off- farm income source, scale of production, seasonal variation, access to extension services and seed producer being male positively influenced informal seed producersâ€™ technical efficiency while producersâ€™ level of education and seed potato variety diversity negatively influenced their efficiency. For formal seed producers, technical efficiency was influenced positively by producersâ€™ education and negatively by household size. The study suggests that there is an opportunity to improve technical efficiency of informal and formal seed producers by 19 and 20 percent respectively. Therefore, this calls for increased investment in developing and promoting high yielding varieties, provision of extension services, input intensification and addressing gender issues in seed potato production in the context of limited arable land .

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Distribution and incidence of viruses in Irish seed potato crops

Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research ◽

10.1515/ijafr-2015-0011 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 54 (2) ◽

pp. 98-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

F. Hutton ◽

J.H. Spink ◽

D. Griffin ◽

S. Kildea ◽

D. Bonner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Potato Virus ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Potato Production ◽

Weather Data ◽

Management Approach ◽

Potato Seed ◽

Virus Diseases ◽

Aphid Control ◽

Daily Weather Data ◽

Potato Crops

Abstract Virus diseases are of key importance in potato production and in particular for the production of disease-free potato seed. However, there is little known about the frequency and distribution of potato virus diseases in Ireland. Despite a large number of samples being tested each year, the data has never been collated either within or across years. Information from all known potato virus testing carried out in the years 2006–2012 by the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine was collated to give an indication of the distribution and incidence of potato virus in Ireland. It was found that there was significant variation between regions, varieties, years and seed classes. A definition of daily weather data suitable for aphid flight was developed, which accounted for a significant proportion of the variation in virus incidence between years. This use of weather data to predict virus risk could be developed to form the basis of an integrated pest management approach for aphid control in Irish potato crops.

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Large-Scale Seedling Grow-Out Experiments Do Not Support Seed Transmission of Sweet Potato Leaf Curl Virus in Sweet Potato

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10010139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 139

Author(s):

Sharon A. Andreason ◽

Omotola G. Olaniyi ◽

Andrea C. Gilliard ◽

Phillip A. Wadl ◽

Livy H. Williams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sweet Potato ◽

Large Scale ◽

Seed Transmission ◽

Potato Production ◽

Potato Leaf ◽

Vector Transmission ◽

Leaf Curl Virus ◽

Seed Coats ◽

Potato Seedlings ◽

Leaf Curl

Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) threatens global sweet potato production. SPLCV is transmitted by Bemisia tabaci or via infected vegetative planting materials; however, SPLCV was suggested to be seed transmissible, which is a characteristic that is disputed for geminiviruses. The objective of this study was to revisit the validity of seed transmission of SPLCV in sweet potato. Using large-scale grow-out of sweet potato seedlings from SPLCV-contaminated seeds over 4 consecutive years, approximately 23,034 sweet potato seedlings of 118 genotype entries were evaluated. All seedlings germinating in a greenhouse under insect-proof conditions or in a growth chamber were free of SPLCV; however, a few seedlings grown in an open bench greenhouse lacking insect exclusion tested positive for SPLCV. Inspection of these seedlings revealed that B. tabaci had infiltrated the greenhouse. Therefore, transmission experiments were conducted using B. tabaci MEAM1, demonstrating successful vector transmission of SPLCV to sweet potato. Additionally, tests on contaminated seed coats and germinating cotyledons demonstrated that SPLCV contaminated a high percentage of seed coats collected from infected maternal plants, but SPLCV was never detected in emerging cotyledons. Based on the results of grow-out experiments, seed coat and cotyledon tests, and vector transmission experiments, we conclude that SPLCV is not seed transmitted in sweet potato.

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Genomic Analyses of Globodera pallida, A Quarantine Agricultural Pathogen in Idaho

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10030363 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 363

Author(s):

Sulochana K. Wasala ◽

Dana K. Howe ◽

Louise-Marie Dandurand ◽

Inga A. Zasada ◽

Dee R. Denver

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Potato Production ◽

Globodera Pallida ◽

Fixation Index ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Field Samples ◽

Multiple Introduction

Globodera pallida is among the most significant plant-parasitic nematodes worldwide, causing major damage to potato production. Since it was discovered in Idaho in 2006, eradication efforts have aimed to contain and eradicate G. pallida through phytosanitary action and soil fumigation. In this study, we investigated genome-wide patterns of G. pallida genetic variation across Idaho fields to evaluate whether the infestation resulted from a single or multiple introduction(s) and to investigate potential evolutionary responses since the time of infestation. A total of 53 G. pallida samples (~1,042,000 individuals) were collected and analyzed, representing five different fields in Idaho, a greenhouse population, and a field in Scotland that was used for external comparison. According to genome-wide allele frequency and fixation index (Fst) analyses, most of the genetic variation was shared among the G. pallida populations in Idaho fields pre-fumigation, indicating that the infestation likely resulted from a single introduction. Temporal patterns of genome-wide polymorphisms involving (1) pre-fumigation field samples collected in 2007 and 2014 and (2) pre- and post-fumigation samples revealed nucleotide variants (SNPs, single-nucleotide polymorphisms) with significantly differentiated allele frequencies indicating genetic differentiation. This study provides insights into the genetic origins and adaptive potential of G. pallida invading new environments.

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Life Cycle Assessment to Highlight the Environmental Burdens of Early Potato Production

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11050879 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 879

Author(s):

Giuseppe Timpanaro ◽

Ferdinando Branca ◽

Mariarita Cammarata ◽

Giacomo Falcone ◽

Alessandro Scuderi

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Organic Farming ◽

Ecological Model ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Potato Production ◽

Conventional Agriculture ◽

Production Models ◽

Real Performance

Climate change, food security, and the protection of the planet’s resources require the adoption of sustainable production models. Achieving sustainable development in the agri-food sector enables the creation of new opportunities for operators, guiding farmers towards more environmentally friendly practices and offering cost-effective results. Organic farming paradigms are promoted by the transformation of some harmful practices of conventional agriculture, such as the wide use of chemical products of synthesis, the deep workings that favor the erosive processes, the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers. There are still gaps in the knowledge of the real performance of some products that strongly support the local economic system of Sicily (Italy). The research aims to highlight the differences in environmental impact caused by the cultivation of organic early potatoes compared to the conventional regime and the same per kg of product obtained. To this end, the widely used methodology for comparing the environmental impacts of agricultural production systems is the Life Cycle Assessment, which allows us to highlight the phases in which environmental criticalities are most concentrated. An interesting agroecological picture of knowledge emerges, since organic farming is by definition an ecological model that supports the principles of the Green Deal, it often requires interventions to improve the yields obtained in order to achieve a positive result both in terms of cultivated surface and kg of product obtained.

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