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27SUMMER 2015 SPUDSMART.COM are important in controlling potato quality and storage characteristics she says. The project began a number of years ago and the first results were published in 2010. Our first work was a small-scale study of plants in the greenhouse using reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR technology to measure gene expression says Zebarth. In 2010 plant material from the field was used and new technology was added to the lab including robotics- assisted processing of plant samples and new gene expression technology called nCounter from Nanostring. The new technology he adds allowed them to upscale the capacity for gene expression analysis and accommodate many more samples from multiple field trials across Canada in their study. Currently this testing is done in the laboratory. However the technology used to measure gene expression is advancing so rapidly says Zebarth that they could be measuring gene expression in the field using handheld devices within the next couple of years. HANDHELD DEVICES As most growers know in order to achieve optimum yields and quality potato crops need high nutrient in- puts. Optimal nutrient application rates can vary widely from field to field and from year to year. For this reason a handheld device for evaluating a plants nutrient needs directly could be very beneficial for farmers. This can be an important tool for growers to make sure they supply enough nutrients to meet crop needs and achieve optimal yields but not to apply more nutrients than are needed by the crop and which can then be lost says Zebarth. We can consider the plant gene expression to act like the language of the plant and tools like this can be used to let the plant tell us how it is doing in terms of nutrient status he continues. There are added environmental benefits to the technology which can help reduce leaching of fertilizers into the water supply. By better matching nutrient applications to crop nutrient requirements we can use nutrients more efficiently and reduce any environmental nutrient losses Zebarth explains. He adds there are also potential economic benefits for growers since theyll have a tool that tells them exactly what the crop needs at the right time. With rising fertilizer costs more efficient nutrient management can result in significant savings for growers says Zebarth. Peter VanderZaag a noted potato farmer and scientist in Alliston Ont. believes agriculture represents a new frontier and is enthusiastic about the technologys potential. This whole thing of measuring whats going on inside a potato plant through a very simple app or a very simple tool is just to me so exciting he says adding that the possibility of a user-friendly device like the one envisioned by Zebarth and Tai shows how sophisticated the technology is becoming. We live in a rapidly changing world he says Its a good time for young educated and technologically astute people to be involved in farming because were living in very exciting times. VanderZaag believes a tool for measuring plant nutrient needs in the field could help farmers boost their productivity efficiencies and returns on investment by maybe one or two per cent and therefore shouldnt be viewed as the be-all and end- all for potato producers. I think that this is just one more tool in the toolbox he explains. The bottom line is that this is just one more way that a farmer can be efficient with the use of nutrients not to waste not to put too much on but also to make sure we have enough on in the right balance. Agriculture and Agri-Food scientists Bernie Zebarth and Helen Tai credit much of their research success to their surroundings as well as the AAFCs national network of top-notch researchers. Zebarth says the AAFC Potato Research Centre in Fredericton N.B. is one of the few laboratories in the world that is applying plant gene expression to the development of tools for assessing nutrient needs in crops. He adds the research being conducted requires a combination of skills including lab experience in molecular biology and expertise in soil science and agronomy. The Potato Research Centre houses a group of multi-disciplinary researchers that have the varied expertise needed for this research says Zebarth. To apply gene expression to the development of crop nutrient status monitoring requires validation of candidate indicator genes across field trials at multiple sites. AAFC has the advantage of having multiple field sites across Canada for carrying out trials. The sites he says are staffed with experienced researchers and technicians who have access to the farm equipment needed for potato cultivation. The development of gene expression indicators would not have been possible without this cross-Canada team of researchers and technicians Zebarth says. On March 17 the federal government announced a 1.83 million investment in a new Canadian-led initiative aimed at giving potato farmers a technological edge in predicting and preventing yield losses in their fields and in storage. Helen Tai will expand application of gene expression indicators to monitoring tuber quality in storage together with researchers from France and New Zealand and industry partners. The lead for the collaborative research effort is Claudia Goyer at the AAFCs Potato Research Centre. BENEFITS OF POTATO RESEARCH CENTRE Bernie Zebarth is among the group of multi-disciplinary researchers thats required for this kind of gene expression work.