Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Researchers in Maine have expressed concern that if they experience a few degrees of global warming, they will no longer be able to grow potatoes. But given Maine potato varieties are extensively grown in subtropical Bundaberg, my question is, what problem are the researchers actually trying to solve?
Researchers try producing potato resistant to climate change
Nov 28, 2021
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — University of Maine researchers are trying to produce potatoes that can better withstand warming temperatures as the climate changes.
Warming temperatures and an extended growing season can lead to quality problems and disease, Gregory Porter, a professor of crop ecology and management, told the Bangor Daily News.
“The predictions for climate change are heavier rainfall events, and potatoes don’t tolerate flooding or wet conditions for long without having other quality problems,” Porter said. “If we want potatoes to be continued to be produced successfully in Maine, we need to be able to produce varieties that can be resistant to change.”
Around the world, research aimed at mitigating crop damage is underway. A NASA study published this month suggests climate change may affect the production of corn and wheat, reducing yields of both, as soon as 2030.
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Read more: https://mcdowellnews.com/news/national/researchers-try-producing-potato-resistant-to-climate-change/article_b3aa39c7-a682-5152-9b94-fb44b0493a2d.html
Bundaberg, Australia (24 degrees south, average annual temperature 77F) is a major potato and root vegetable growing region, along with sugar cane, strawberries, pineapples and bananas and who knows what else. Bundaberg experiences lots of tropical rainfall and occasional flooding.
Subtropical Bundaberg actually grows MAINE potatoes. They are no different to the varieties farmers plant or have planted in Maine.
The Subtropical Bundaberg grown Sebago potatoes at the top of the picture were developed by the United States Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with Maine Agricultural Experiment Station in 1938.
What is the secret of Bundaberg’s success with potatoes developed in Maine? Very simple – Bundaberg farmers plant the potatoes in Fall, the plants mature over winter, and they harvest in Spring, before the Summer heat kills them. The closer to the tropics you get, the sooner you need to plant, if you want to grow temperate climate vegetables, until somewhere around 27 degrees from the equator you swing right through winter and start planting in Fall.
My point is the problems of how to grow crops like potatoes in warm climates have already been solved, by farmers who have been growing potatoes in warm climates for centuries. Suggestions that this is any kind of a challenge seem a little far fetched.
There is no remotely plausible level of global warming which Maine could experience in the next century which would come close to Maine matching Bundaberg’s climate. Any warming in Maine could be addressed by simply changing the planting time by a few days, a little drainage work, and maybe importing some Australian tropical potato farming knowhow.
“what problem are the researchers actually trying to solve?”
The problem of getting more funding?
Perhaps they should breed a global cooling resistant potato too. Might be more practically useful.
The problem they are solving is the “How do we get on the gravy train?” one.
Growing up in Minnesota, there was a saying: “Corn needs to be knee-high by the Fourth” – the Fourth of July, that is. That much growth was necessary in order to achieve a good yield at harvest.
Now, here in South Texas, it seems like the corn in the great southern planes south of San Antonio, seems to be “knee high by the fourth….of March”. The annual average temperature here is more than 20 degrees F higher than Minesota. It seems corn does just fine in both places.
It doesn’t do very well, though, in the great planes of Manitoba, or even North Dakota, for that matter. A little more global warming, and there could vast fields of corn throughout Canada. I doubt it will make too much harm in Texas, either. BTW, I know of some great beach front property In Hudson Bay I’ll get you a good price on.
Here’s a nice one for the Data Miners out there:
Potato consumption vs Covid Fatality Rate
(There are myriad confouning things in there, more on which later…)
Taties contain lots of Vitamin C – but (confounder #1) = Vit C needs to be taken in multiple small doses all across waking hours
Otherwise taties are a nice study in addiction.
All me/you/anyone gets from eating potato is: Sugar
Exactly the same sugar as we’d get from eating wheat
So now consider that a UK farmer growing taties gets a yield of 20 tonnes per acre
Typical potato means that that is 4 tonnes per acre of Dry Matter – Starch = Sugar when we cook it
Pretty well what the UK farmer would get growing wheat in fact
But potatoes, being of the Nightshade Family are insanely ‘hungry’ plants – there are no free lunches and it takes a lot of ‘resource’ to make those hideous Alkaloids
Thus the UK farmer will, to get that 20 tonne crop, will find himself throwing 500+ kg per acre of fertiliser at the potatoes, instead of the 250kg he’d be throwing at the wheat field.
And that 16 tonnes per acre of water that comes home with the spuds had to have come from ‘somewhere’
Don’t tell the Enviro Green Whackos – their heads will surely explode
It all becomes a bit ‘marginal’ even before Potato Blight appears, changing its form every 3 or 4 weeks and thus requiring epic vigilance and even more epic chemical input.
Thus we get to ‘consumer preference’
Potatoes have to ‘look nice’ – one of The Main Selling Points of the spuds in the picture above
Thus, tatie harvesting becomes an intensely ‘manual’ operation – a team of pickers/sorters ride upon the spud harvester, sorting the big bad ugly split bruised damaged broken and throwing them back onto the field from whence the grew. Nice and good in fact.
(Whackos may see that and there will become a Secondary Head Explosion)
But the farmer gets into problems as taties ‘in the ground’ are living things – they continue to grow and will very easily move themselves out of their intended market – be that baking taties, salad taties, things for ‘processors, chip (French Fries) manufacturers etc etc
So what the farmer does, when the taties are ‘about right’ – he kills them.
Thus they remain ‘right for their market’ and don’t do anything unruly, such as sprouting, while the farmer assembles a harvesting team
And to kill them, he uses Roundup
Thus we get The Major Confounder in the Covid investigation – because taties full of Roundup will block critters like ourselves from absorbing the nutrients and trace elements we need to help us fend off Covid.
‘Roundup’ applies to me/you/anyone when we go shopping for spuds.
If you find pristine clean potatoes with very thin skins – Do Not Touch or Eat
If you find pristine clean potatoes that don’t have sprouts nor do they grow sprouts when you get them home, likewise, Do Not Eat
If you find, on your plate, a potato with dazzling white flesh, a gritty texture and perfectly tasteless, no matter how much butter, salt, chilli whatever you throw at it, Do Not Eat
If you find potates that ‘dont go green very quickly’ should you leave in the light – Do Not Eat
if you find potatoes, in the shop, with dirt/soil attached, that are growing shoots/eyes and some of them are going green, Do Buy And Eat them
But before you clean. peel and process them, while they’re still covered in dirt, pass them round, bare skin/hands. all the members of your family
let everyone get their hands dirty and be in no special hurry to wash it off. Let is soak in a bit
Because, there be your Vitamin B12 supply – without which, you go crazy. literally.
Could very well be why Polish people have ‘wits’ – in the UK certainly it is they who ride upon the spud harvesters getting their hands dirty.
Methinks they eat lotsa taties back home also and don’t ‘go a bundle’ on ‘Nice Potatoes’ and hence Roundup
Exactly.
And all this is obvious because they are so expensive.
What do the grow to use in making that awful Bundaberg Rum?
We also grow potatoes in Perth WA
They are so successful that up until 10 years ago there were quotas to limit the number you were allowed to grow
We regularly have very hot summers >40 deg C for 10 days plus and our winters rarely go below 5 deg C – yet the growers manage pests and temperature and we have a good selection of variety and supply
obviously the Maine Agronomists need to climate out of there cave and look at what others do
PS Africa also grows lots of root crops without challenge also
A NASA study published this month suggests climate change may affect the production of corn and wheat, reducing yields of both, as soon as 2030.
Meanwhile in the real world we can compare the predictions from these studies against harvest levels, Right?
Right?
Shouldn’t be seeing the word ‘Bumper Crop’ anywhere according to NASA.
roflmao 😉 grew spuds in midnorth SA no worries
its yet another GMO based ripoff stunt
Indoctrination can be costly and wasteful.
Potatoes are a freaking weed. Barring drought, disease, or invasive infestation, they will grow anywhere.