Seed potatoes are small tubers that are used to “seed” the soil and grow new potatoes. Most potatoes grown in the UK originate from Scottish seed, therefore Scottish seed underpins the wider UK potato industry, which is worth an estimated £5 billion p.a. Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) – microscopic, soilborne worms that feed on potato roots - are pests that affect potato production in the UK and globally. Therefore, Scottish seed potato cultivation is subject to strict legislation aimed at preventing PCN spread - all land used for seed must be tested by SASA and the soil sample declared free from PCN prior to planting. 

This project has developed PCN-Mapper, an interactive mapping and analytics tool for SASA’s use that combines statutory PCN testing data with spatial analysis and machine learning to improve understanding of the distribution of the two PCN species found in Scotland, Globodera pallida and Globodera rostochiensis. The tool provides visualisations of species occurrence and relative risk across Scotland, helping to support evidence-based surveillance, risk assessment and plant health decision-making. PCN-Mapper provides a valuable resource to support plant health monitoring, stakeholder engagement and future policy development, while recognising the importance of protecting grower confidentiality and ensuring responsible use of data.

Image of Potato by Jai79 from Pixabay