Grounded Agronomy has joined a new research project investigating potato leafroll virus (PLRV) transmission routes to help growers protect crop quality, reduce rejection risk and secure future supplies of healthy seed. With around three-quarters of the UK potato crop grown from Scottish seed, preventing PLRV spread matters to ware and processing businesses across the country. The project will identify where risk is greatest and turn its findings into practical guidance for growers.

The research is part of CIC-START, a training and research programme backed by a £1.87 million Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) award. Based at the Crop Innovation Centre in Invergowrie, the programme brings together the University of Dundee, the James Hutton Institute, Harper Adams University, the University of Nottingham and industry partners to tackle commercial crop problems.

David Reynolds will begin the four-year PLRV PhD studentship in October 2026. His previous research covered aphid-borne viruses, plant resistance and variation between virus strains. Eric Anderson, Principal Agricultural Adviser and Director at Grounded Agronomy, will serve as Industrial Supervisor, linking the science with commercial seed potato production and keeping the work focused on growers' needs.

The project will study the aphids that spread PLRV, how infected plants respond and why particular virus variants become established. The need is immediate: peach–potato aphid numbers were high in Scotland in 2026, while milder winters have increased potato volunteers in cereal crops. These volunteers can carry PLRV without obvious symptoms and act as infection sources. By 2023–24, one PLRV variant had become dominant in some Scottish potato crops, replacing a type present for more than 40 years.

Growers can act now by checking cereal stubbles for volunteers, removing potential virus sources promptly and using aphid monitoring and local risk information to target crop inspections and protection decisions. CIC-START will combine academic research, specialist facilities and commercial experience to improve surveillance, focus control and deliver practical guidance for the UK potato sector.

"The potato industry needs research that improves decisions in the field. CIC-START brings researchers, growers, advisers and commercial partners together to test ideas against real production challenges and turn the findings into guidance growers can use," says Eric Anderson.