OPPORTUNITIES AND PROBLEMS CONCERNING POTATO PRODUCTION AND QUALITY IN LAM DONG, VIETNAM Pieter-Jan Loveniers Student number: 01170155 Supervisor: Prof. dr. ir. Geert Haesaert Master’s Dissertation submitted to Ghent University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering Technology: Food Industry Year: 2018 - 2019 OPPORTUNITIES AND PROBLEMS CONCERNING POTATO PRODUCTION AND QUALITY IN LAM DONG, VIETNAM Pieter-Jan Loveniers Student number: 01170155 Supervisor: Prof. dr. ir. Geert Haesaert Master’s Dissertation submitted to Ghent University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering Technology: Food Industry Year : 2018 - 2019 The author and promotor give the permission to use this manuscript for consultation and to copy parts of it for personal use. Every other use is subject to the copyright laws, more specifically the source must be extensively specified when using the results from this dissertation. 24/05/2019 Auteur Promotor Pieter-Jan Loveniers Prof. dr. ir. Geert Haesaert Acknowledgement Before I start thanking everyone who supported me to accomplish my master’s dissertation, I would like to thank my parents, grandparents and other family members, close friends and other friends for their backing during my rough years of University. In their own way they got me to where I am right now. To carry out my thesis I also had the support from a lot of people. During my two-month stay in Vietnam Ms. Lê Như Bích guided me with kindness to arrange practical matters. She brought me in contact with a lot of interesting people, such as Mr. Hang, the director of PepsiCo, and Ms. Hong, a researcher at the PVFC (Potatoes, Vegetable and Flower Research Institute) in Dalat. They all had their part to fulfil this thesis, for which I thank them. A special word of gratitude goes to Thắng Đức, a graduated ex-student of Dalat University, who helped me with transportation and conducting surveys of farmers. I would like to thank him for his patience with translations, misunderstandings and many clarifying answers. This gives me the occasion to thank all the farmers offering me the opportunity to collect information by making time and answering all of my questions. This master dissertation would not have been possible without Prof. Dr. Ir. Geert Haesaert. Notwithstanding his very busy schedule he managed to make time and discuss my research and writings. Also his guidance and advice during my application for the VLIR scholar ship is appreciated a lot. Kindly thanks to VLIR-UOS for funding this thesis in Dalat, Vietnam. I wish to thank Peter Van Steenkiste, manager at Agripom/Warnez, to offer me insight in how they measure tuber quality in the company where he is employed. I would like to thank my parents and close friends for their encouragement and positive inspiration. Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to Judith Moors, for everything she did and all the love she gave me. Abstract Although potato is a small crop for Vietnam, it can be a significant added value for local farmers. Lam Dong, a province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, is known for its high fertility soils and mild climate where potatoes could grow all year round. However, potato cultivation is under pressure because of problems regarding quality. For this study, conducting a targeted farmers’ questionnaire in Lam Dong, provides insight into problems and opportunities concerning potato production. Also, the expectations of local consumers regarding quality requirements is assessed. Moreover, several samples are bought on local markets in Lam Dong to establish the current available quality. These samples were assessed for typical quality parameters. The results of the farmers’ questionnaire showed that less than 40% is aware of training and research institutes to improve their farming practices. Major yield losses were mostly attributed to late blight (Phytophthora infestans), leafminer flies (Liriomyza spp.) and bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum). Fertilizers are consitently over- used. Crop rotation practices and male farmers showed significant higher yields. Farmers manage to produce relative high yields despite the fact that there is plenty of scope for quality improvements. Received pirices by farmers is relatively high, on average 396 $ tonne-1 but fluctuating between seasons. Consumers experience bad quality on local markets and 57% would buy more if the quality was better. Poor quality on local markets is perceived but not statistically confirmed. Between district Dalat, Duc Truong, Don Duong and Lam Ha, there is no difference in tuber quality except for depth of eyes, mealiness of cooked potatoes and flavour of French fries. Keywords: Potato, production, tuber quality, Lam Dong Content List of abbreviations III List of figures IV List of tables V Introduction 1 1.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Objectives .................................................................................................................... 2 1 Chapter 1: Literature review 3 1.1 Botanical characteristics of Solanum tuberosum L. ..................................................... 3 1.2 Tuber quality ................................................................................................................ 5 1.2.1 External quality .................................................................................................... 6 1.2.2 Internal quality ..................................................................................................... 7 1.2.3 Cooking quality .................................................................................................... 8 1.2.4 Factors affecting tuber quality .............................................................................. 8 1.3 Solanum tuberosum L. in Vietnam ............................................................................ 13 1.3.1 History ................................................................................................................ 13 1.3.2 Potato production ............................................................................................... 14 1.3.3 Potato consuming ............................................................................................... 19 2 Chapter 2: Methodology 20 2.1 Farmers’ questionnaire .............................................................................................. 20 2.2 Consumers’ questionnaire ......................................................................................... 21 2.3 Assessment of tuber quality ....................................................................................... 21 2.3.1 External quality .................................................................................................. 22 2.3.2 Internal quality ................................................................................................... 23 2.3.3 Cooking quality .................................................................................................. 24 2.3.4 Sensory evaluation of French fries ..................................................................... 24 2.4 Statistical analysis ...................................................................................................... 25 3 Chapter 3: Results and Discussion 26 3.1 Farmers’ questionnaire .............................................................................................. 26 3.1.1 Section 1: General background of farmer .......................................................... 26 I 3.1.2 Section 2: General farming system and practices .............................................. 29 3.1.3 Section 3: Occurrence of pests and diseases ...................................................... 34 3.1.4 Section 4: Crop protection measures .................................................................. 35 3.1.5 Section 5: Economic information ....................................................................... 37 3.1.6 Section 6: Quality aspects .................................................................................. 38 3.1.7 Statistical analysis farmers’ questionnaire ......................................................... 40 3.2 Consumers’ questionnaire ......................................................................................... 42 3.3 Assessment of tuber quality ....................................................................................... 46 3.3.1 External quality .................................................................................................. 46 3.3.2 Internal quality ................................................................................................... 47 3.3.3 Cooking quality .................................................................................................. 47 3.3.4 Sensory analysis of French fries ......................................................................... 48 3.3.5 Differences in tuber quality between districts of Lam Dong ............................. 49 4 Chapter 4: General discussion 52 4.1 Farmers’ questionnaire .............................................................................................. 52 4.2 Consumers’ questionnaire ......................................................................................... 57 4.3 Assessment of tuber quality