Curated and compiled by Lukie Pieterse – Editor and Publisher of Potato News Today – a practical reference hub built to grow and evolve with the industry
A reference tool built for the way the potato industry actually works
Potato News Today is launching a new long-term resource: the Living Dictionary of the Potato Industry – a practical, plain-language knowledge base designed for growers, agronomists, storage managers, processors, packers, traders, researchers, and industry suppliers.
Potato News Today is launching the Dictionary with an initial 800 core terms – 100 terms in each of the eight sections. That provides immediate depth and usefulness, while leaving room for ongoing additions and refinements as new terminology and industry expectations emerge.
This is not a “one-and-done” glossary. It’s designed to grow over time, reflect real-world usage, and keep pace with how the potato sector is changing – from sustainability expectations and market compliance, to postharvest risk, evolving pests and diseases, and new technology entering the field and factory. That is why we coin it as a “Living Dictionary“.
Eight sections – one shared language
The Dictionary is structured into eight main sections to keep the content digestible and easy to navigate:
- Production and Agronomy
- Storage and Postharvest
- Seed and Breeding
- Processing and Product Quality
- Markets and Trade
- Pests, Diseases, and Crop Protection
- Sustainability and Assurance
- Technology and Data in Potatoes
Each entry follows a consistent format, explaining plain meaning, technical definition, why it matters in potatoes, where used, common confusions, and related terms – so readers can quickly understand both the concept and its real-world relevance.
Shaped by the industry – and improved through reader input
Potato News Today will continue building the Dictionary using published science, industry standards, field practice, and operational reality. Readers are also invited to suggest terms that should be included – especially where regional usage differs, where confusion is common, or where new technology is creating new language that the wider industry needs to understand.
If you have questions, concerns, corrections, or suggestions, please reach out to Lukie Pieterse via the Potato News Today contact page or by messaging through Potato News Today’s four affiliated social media channels. Thoughtful input will help keep this Dictionary accurate, relevant, and genuinely useful to the global potato community.
How to use it
The Dictionary is designed to be browsed casually, searched when needed, and shared internally within teams. It should be especially useful for:
- onboarding staff and training new hires
- aligning terminology between growers, storages, packers, and processors
- clarifying standards and buyer requirements
- reducing misunderstanding around technical terms and “industry shorthand”
Where to find it
You can access the Living Dictionary of the Potato Industry from the main menu on Potato News Today, with each section available as its own page for easy browsing.
How to cite the Dictionary
If you would like to cite or reference a term, please use the access date (since entries can evolve over time). For example:
Living Dictionary of the Potato Industry, curated and compiled by Lukie Pieterse (Editor and Publisher, Potato News Today), “Term Name” entry, accessed Month Day, Year (include section name and link where possible).
You can reach Lukie on lukie@potatonewstoday.com or lukie5555@gmail.com