For the first time ever, Potatoes in Practice, Scotland’s largest field-based potato event, featured a live cookery demonstration, bringing to attendees the journey from field to fork. It was led by Sarah Rankin, former MasterChef finalist, food writer, broadcaster and private chef, whose enthusiasm for potatoes proved as infectious as it was inspiring.
If there is one certainty in agriculture, it is that nothing stays the same. Potato growers have faced a wave of challenges in recent years, from the loss of key crop protection products such as Mancozeb to the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains of late blight. While many of these challenges have been anticipated, finding practical and effective solutions has rarely been straightforward.
The SRUC 2026 plot at this year’s Potatoes in Practice is exploring a long-debated question for potato growers: is it better to plant according to a traditional calendar date, or should planting begin at the first sign of favourable environmental conditions to maximise time in the ground?
By comparing beds planted from the 5th May to 23rd June at seven-day intervals, the plot provides a unique opportunity to examine how planting dates influence crop development, canopy cover, yield, and tuber quality under Scottish growing conditions.
Visitors to Potatoes in Practice 2026, who are members BASIS or NroSO, can enhance their professional development and earn up to 6 CPD points at the event on Thursday 13th August.
An interactive knowledge trail, designed to engage visitors while reinforcing key agronomic insights, will run across a number of participating exhibitors stands, with 10 questions per exhibitor, each focused on the technical and practical information on display.
