Potato yields in the Netherlands are highly variable. Although variability in yield has previously been attributed to several crop management factors, part of the variability remains unexplained. It is hypothesized that part of this unexplained yield variability is influenced by seed potato origin, encompassing where and under what conditions seed potatoes have been cultivated. In this study, we investigated the effect of seed...

Current ware potato yields in the Netherlands are approximately 70% of their potential. It is hypothesised by several stakeholders within the potato value chain that part of the potato yield gap is caused by a lack of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) application. In this study, we analysed for 46 farmers’ fields if increasing P and K fertiliser application rates led to a higher yield and yield quality. We found that, on averag...

A number of policies proposed to increase soil organic matter (SOM) content in agricultural land as a carbon sink and to enhance soil fertility. Relations between SOM content and crop yields however remain uncertain. In a recent farm survey across six European countries, farmers reported both their crop yields and their SOM content. For four widely grown crops (wheat, grain maize, sugar beet and potato), correlations were expl...

Ethiopia has achieved the second highest maize yield in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, farmers’ maize yields are still much lower than on-farm and on-station trial yields, and only ca. 20% of the estimated water-limited potential yield. This article provides a comprehensive national level analysis of the drivers of maize yields in Ethiopia, by decomposing yield gaps into efficiency, resource and technology components, and accounting...