Potatoes

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.

It is widely recognised that the increasing consumer choice for clean, freshly packed potatoes of a certain shape and size has led to increased demand on growers to supply the right potato in the right condition at the right time. As a result, equipment manufacturers have had to improve the output and efficiency of their products in order to remain competitive.

The way in which we grow and store potatoes is changing dramatically, but there is no time to be nostalgic. Agrii’s Nick Winmill, a crop scientist with over 35 years’ experience in agronomy, considers some of the changes still to come.

Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2010, The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) is the only UK-wide charity that empowers family farms and rural communities to ensure their future.

Alternaria used to be a minor disease. But for some potato crops in the UK, it’s now a significant threat that can cause substantial yield loss. According to guests of the latest ‘Perfecting Potatoes Together’ podcast, the likelihood of infection has risen sharply in recent weeks as a number of risk factors have come together.

Ray Andrews, managing director of Norfolk-based Crop Systems Limited, is urging MPs and the potato industry to help save Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research, which is set for closure as AHDB Potatoes winds down.

Growers without access to irrigation systems are being encouraged to follow the lead of one Lincolnshire farmer who has embraced seaweed to help his crop fend off the effects of heat stress.

Now is the time to protect potato crops against late blight after Hutton Criteria disease warnings were declared in key potato-growing areas.

Blight is the bane of potato growing and experts warn that, long-term, pressure in the UK is only set to rise. We asked a specialist agronomist, a grower and a crop protection manufacturer about best-practice now and in the future

Achieving a good quality potato ridge comprising a fine tilth with minimal clods this season will be critical if a high level of slug control is to be achieved.

With the potato industry having to adapt to a host of market changes and an increasingly changing weather pattern, Scotts has reported a signifficant surge in windrower kits and retro-fit Evolution separator sales