A project to tackle a major potato pest and work to develop seawater farming systems in the west of Scotland have launched.
The potato project, led by Angus-based precision farming firm SoilEssentials, aims to develop ways to tackle the spread of potato cyst nematode (PCN).
The pest is one of the most serious threats to the Scottish potato sector and estimates suggest the amount of land affected by one species of PCN has been doubling every six to seven years.
In partnership with farmers, Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), Scottish Agronomy Ltd and McCain Foods, SoilEssentials will work to develop a new soil sampling approach and farmers will be given training on how to proactively manage PCN.
SoilEssentials managing director, Jim Wilson, said the company hoped to prove and commercialise an integrated pest management (IPM) concept for tackling PCN.
“It is critical in developing a system that will provide Scottish potato growers with a precision agriculture tool to manage their land bank for growing seed potato crops,” added Mr Wilson.
Meanwhile, Glasgow-based Seawater Solutions Ltd is working on a project to develop fully operational seawater farms across Scotland, which could be used to grow high-value salt tolerant vegetables such as samphire.
The firm said seawater farming systems redevelop unused land into rich artificial wetlands to tackle problems such as coastal erosion, soil degradation and carbon emissions.
Both projects received support from the Collaborative Innovation Fund, run by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.