Under the overarching theme of ‘Sustainable Potato Production for a Changing World’ these six themes have been chosen and we will be looking for abstracts that speak to one or more of these themes.
1. Crop Improvement: Genetics, Genomics, and Trait Development
This theme combines breeding, genomics, and molecular trait discovery into a single, larger category. It captures work on genetic resources, genomic tools, and the development of improved varieties with enhanced performance and resilience.
2. Plant Health Biology and Control Mechanisms
This theme focuses on understanding the biological basis of plant health challenges and how they can be controlled. It includes research on pathogens, pests, host resistance, and the mechanisms underpinning different control approaches, including their effectiveness and durability.
3. Crop Protection: Application and Management Systems
This theme focuses on the practical implementation of crop protection in real-world production systems. It includes integrated pest management, spray strategies, decision-support tools, and the optimisation of control measures within farm-scale agronomic practices.
4. Crop Physiology and Yield Formation
Work on plant growth, development, and tuber formation is grouped into a distinct physiology-focused theme. It covers the biological processes underlying yield, quality, and plant responses to environmental and management factors.
5. Sustainable Production and Resource Use
This theme brings together agronomy, soil management, nutrient efficiency, and water use. It emphasises sustainability, including reducing inputs, improving efficiency, and maintaining productivity under environmental constraints.
6. Post-Harvest, Quality, and Supply Chain Systems
All research related to storage, tuber quality, dormancy, processing, and supply chains is grouped here. It ensures post-harvest science is clearly represented while linking production decisions to final product quality and market outcomes.