On Monday evening, members of PCN Action Scotland (Micha Bayer from the James Hutton Institute and Kerry Leslie from SAC Consulting) delivered an informative seminar to the Perth Organic Growers group. The session covered the fundamentals of potato cyst nematodes (PCN), shared key outcomes from the ongoing project, and highlighted efforts to identify resistance genes. The lively discussion reflected strong interest from attendees, and PCN Action Scotland would like to thank POG members for their warm welcome and active participation.

PCN Action Scotland recently took part in the Isle of Barra and Vatersay Science Festival, engaging island communities with hands-on science and agricultural insights. James Price (James Hutton Institute) and Kerry Leslie (SAC Consulting) hosted interactive activity stands focused on potato cyst nematodes (PCN), other potato pests, and DNA extraction experiments for local children.

In addition to the family-friendly activities, the team delivered an afternoon presentation for adult attendees, sharing key findings from the PCN Action Scotland project. They also spent time speaking with local growers about the potato varieties cultivated on the islands and the challenges they face, helping to build connections and gather valuable insights for future research.

We've been featured on the BBC's the One Show! (01/10/2024)

Our segment with Chef Hasan ‘Big Has’ Semay covers PCN, why its an issue for the potato industry, and resistant varieties!

Watch at: https://bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0023hs8

A big thank you to all project partners and funding received from the Scottish Government.

The work of PCN Action Scotland has been featured by the BBC in print (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjdkyrk0g0lo), on BBC Radio 4 Farming, and as interviews with Dr James Price and Dr Kerry Leslie on Reporting Scotland this week!

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the breeding companies which have dedicated years to breeding new PCN resistant varieties, without which the PCN project would not exist.

We would also like to acknowledge all partners of PCN Action Scotland – SASA, SRUC & SAC Consulting, Scottish Agronomy, SoilEssentials, BioSS, The James Hutton Institute, and the plant health centre. Each of these partners equally contributes invaluable inputs into the project.

PCN Action Scotland would like to take this opportunity to thank the Scottish Government for the funding to conduct this research.

PCN Action Scotland has been featured in an article by the British Potato Review. The article centres on the annual public open day hosted at Barnyards farm in Tannadice to discuss the project's field trials results.

https://britishpotato.co.uk/news/

The scope of the PCN problem has been highlighted in The Scottish Farmer after project lead Dr James Price gave a presentation at the SAC Association of Potato Producers annual conference in January.

https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/arable/24091568.pcn-impact-land-affected-double-every-seven-years/

Thank you to the Farm Advisory Service FAS TV team for coming to film at the Barnyards Trials Open Day in August last year. The video features the trials work and knowledge exchange that PCN Action Scotland are carrying out.

For more information (and to see some familiar faces!) follow the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SuYec-1Xu78?si=Fqa3RG_Fz9WUxsnz

An article on PCN Action Scotland has been featured in Potato News Today!

www.potatonewstoday.com/2023/11/10/potato-cyst-nematodes-threaten-scottish-seed-potato-industrys-future/