Potato Sustainability with Jenni Dungait

Professor Jenni Dungait is a globally renowned soil scientist with over 20 years of academic research under her belt. She’s also an independent consultant in soil health management and works alongside farmers to build soil resilience and productivity.

“All crops have an impact on soil health,” she says. “Admittedly, because of the high-quality consumers demand and the management it requires to produce ‘perfect potatoes’, this crop can have more than most.”

As soil plays a central role in water, nutrient, and carbon cycles, as well as being the foundation of food webs, soil management has a pivotal role in achieving wider sustainability objectives too - from reducing agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions to increasing biodiversity.

“It is about achieving a balance and making the most of the rotation to look after the soil, particularly during those in-between years,” explains Jenni.

“Soil erosion and compaction are two of the main challenges for soil health and crop production. Finding ways to minimise the impact of machinery, maintain organic matter content and achieve balance in the above- and below ground ecosystems, can all help improve the sustainability of potato production,” she says.

“With every farm being unique, what works on one doesn’t necessarily work on another. But there are well established techniques - such as engineering ridges to go against the angle of slopes to reduce soil erosion and using organic fertilisers to help build soil organic matter – which can be deployed in some circumstances.

There are new ideas coming from researchers and farmers from across the world too. “In Colarado, for example, Brendon and Sheldon Rockey are trialling a 2-year rotation incorporating cover crops to alleviate compaction and suppress nematodes, green manures to build nutrients, flower strips to attract beneficial insects and companion crops to fix nitrogen, mobilise phosphorus and support beneficial insects.”

“It is not all down to growers and crop management though, developments in potato genetics also have a role to play. Where end-markets allow, making use of resistant varieties can reduce the number of sprayer passes and the impact of running machinery.”

“Potato growing isn’t easy but improving soils can support production by increasing the health of plants through better water and nutrient availability, which is especially important with the increasingly unpredictable weather and cost of fertilisers, and by reducing the severity of soil-borne diseases.”