Potatoes News

Nutrient deficiency is a widespread issue in potatoes grown in the UK and can lead to internal and external crop damage with associated financial losses. To help farmers maintain adequate nutrient levels in potato crops, Oscar Thacker, area manager at Yara, offers some advice.

Growers are being warned about high slug risk in potatoes where crops have been planted into cloddy seed beds and are urged to counter the threat with a good quality pellet as soon as tubers reach golf ball size.

Farmers will continue to have access to the multi-site potato blight fungicide Mancozeb this spring, which can help delay further shifts in fungicide resistance, according to crop protection manufacturer UPL.

Potato growers are facing a different proposition when it comes to weed control this spring compared to 2022 following delayed planting of much of the UK’s maincrop, according to Corteva Agriscience. 

Three cutting-edge projects relating to robotics and automation will receive a share of £9.13 million through the government’s Farming Innovation Programme, aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, sustainability and climate resilience.

Replacing an aging, and often unreliable farm-built nematicide applicator with the Terracast GR, an applicator specifically designed for precision placement of nematicide, starter fertiliser and cover crops has enabled Cheshire-based potato farmer Zak Stanier to (not only) improve the accuracy of his previous system but also widen potential use of the farm’s new applicator to include sowing cover crops and placing starter fertiliser.

Vegetable handling solutions company Haith will be promoting its new optical sorter unit for the first time at Fruit Logistica, a global fresh produce trade show held annually in Berlin.

Farmers wishing to sneak a peek at a Standen harvester in action can still request demonstrations by contacting the Standen team, who have been busy demoing machinery across their harvester and planter range.

Unlike most years, 2022 will not be about managing large green haulm to aid skin set and lifting, but about keeping the crop alive with water or making more challenging strategic decisions, says Hutchinsons root crop technical manager Darryl Shailes.

As the starting point of potato sprout suppression programmes, getting the most out of maleic hydrazide (MH) is paramount for successful, cost-effective storage. Farmers Guide finds out how crop modelling platform Crop4Sight can help.

New advice for in-furrow application of Amistar during potato planting will achieve a more complete zone of protection around the mother tuber when using modern high-speed belt planters, advises Syngenta application specialist, Harry Fordham.

The Nematicide Stewardship Programme (NSP) reminds potato growers and operators to adhere to best practice when applying granular nematicides this spring.