Increasing the potato yield has high priority in China. Now and in the near future, a big effort needs to be made to keep up with the growing demand for potatoes for both fresh consumption and the industry. In a joint R&D programme, Chinese and Dutch institutions and companies are together looking into opportunities to improve potato production. In 'Progress Report China Potato GAP project', the results achieved so far by the Pubic Private Partnership (PPS) Potato GAP China can be read.
Globally, the potato is one of the five most important food crops. Billions of people are supplied with them for a healthy staple food. With a yield of 70 to 80 million tonnes a year on an acreage of 5 million hectares, China is the world's largest potato producer. The Netherlands is the 10th largest, with around 8 million tonnes annually on 175,000 ha. The average yield per ha is around 20 tonnes in China, while in the Netherlands it's more than 45 tonnes. By introducing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and improving quality control and awareness, it should be possible to increase the potato production in China.In the past 30 years, multiple relevant technologies and decision support systems have been developed in the Netherlands for the benefit of sustainable crop protection. In China, there's an interest in these methods, in order to improve sustainability, yields and numbers, and to make it possible to adhere to international standards for GAP.
Overview of potato production in China (source: YAAS, 2015)
R&D programme
At the initiative of the Chinese and Dutch Agriculture ministries, a joint R&D programme has been developed, in which multiple Chinese and Dutch institutions and companies take part. This partnership is focused on at least the following five topics:
- Quality of seedlings, breeding, production and certification
- Good Agricultural Practices for potato cultivation, with an emphasis on controlling Phytophthora
- Mechanization, machines and harvest technique
- Storage and conservation
- Demonstration and transfer of knowledge.
Results so far indicate that much improvement can be achieved by working on an process of awareness regarding the importance of good seedling quality and good tillage, paired with a more effective monitoring and certification system for seedling quality.
Control of Phytophthora
In China, progress is made in the control of Phytophthora through the introduction of monitoring and of a nationally operating decision support system. However, tests showed that the system needs improving in order to generate more effective advice for growers. Growers also need to follow the advice given by the system, and have to be able to apply the appropriate technology and fungicides. Improved storage methods will also contribute to higher production quality and lower losses during storage.
Control of Phytophthora
In China, progress is made in the control of Phytophthora through the introduction of monitoring and of a nationally operating decision support system. However, tests showed that the system needs improving in order to generate more effective advice for growers. Growers also need to follow the advice given by the system, and have to be able to apply the appropriate technology and fungicides. Improved storage methods will also contribute to higher production quality and lower losses during storage.
Developing communication strategies
In this partnership project, a lot of emphasis has been on communicating the results. In general, more effort is needed to spread knowledge about Good Agricultural Practices within China. It would be wise to develop specific communication strategies per province or region, geared to the cultural and socio-economic circumstances there. Introducing new technologies, better varieties, sustainable cultivation methods and more effective dissemination of knowledge, will take the potato production in China to the next level.