2025/11/02 by Cameron Ogilvie, Katherine E. East, Mara Cloutier +1 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Plant Disease Management Techniques #Plant tissue culture and regeneration #Potato Plant Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/00224561.2025.2583904
openalex publication_date 2025/11/02 · openalex created_date 2026/01/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production is a significant contributor to the North American economy with hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity and job creation. However, potato production is highly vulnerable to soil degradation and other negative environmental impacts that threaten industry sustainability. As a result, some potato processing companies have adopted regenerative agriculture goals within their supply chains, prompting some to question whether potatoes can be grown regeneratively. Through our interactions with potato growers in North America, we have heard that soil erosion, water challenges (e.g., reduced water infiltration), soilborne diseases, soil structural challenges (e.g., compaction), low organic matter, and nutrient leaching are among the most common soil health challenges in potato cropping systems. This review explores existing North American research that documents how minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining living roots, promoting diversity, and integrating organic amendments can address these producer-defined challenges in potato production, improving soil health and environmental outcomes. The practices explored in this review therefore constitute an approach to potato production that can be considered regenerative. As agroecosystems are complex and dynamic, these examples call for curiosity, adaptation, and innovation to ensure on-farm success. Many innovative growers are already doing this work, which presents promising avenues for future research and partnership to further enhance the vitality and productivity of the industry.