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Know How / Potatoes / Crop management

From calculating fertiliser requirements, managing pest threats such as potato cyst nematode, and keeping on top of diseases including potato blight, there are significant decisions to be made on potato agronomy throughout the growing season. Keep up-to-date on how to tackle these issues and find out what new technology has to offer the professional potato grower in today’s market.

Case studies

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POTATOES

How farmers in potato 'world capital' deal with soil erosion

Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada claims to be the potato capital of the world based on production per capita, with an annual harvest of 1.45m tonnes. This equates to…

POTATOES

Can maincrop potatoes be grown in a regenerative system?

North Yorkshire potato farmer James Pick is on a mission to future-proof production of one of the nation’s favourite carbohydrates – the potato – and believes regenerative farming practices hold…

POTATOES

How potato grower variably applies potash and magnesium

Novel soil-mapping technology is enabling a potato grower to learn more about his own soils and rented fields, thereby make better use of two key nutrient inputs. About two-thirds of…

POTATOES

How a potato supplier aims to improve supply efficiency

The UK’s largest potato supplier is investigating a farm-scale net-zero project which aims to increase efficiency and long-term sustainability across the entire potato supply chain. Whether it concerns variety choice,…

ARABLE

How optimistic potato grower targets soil improvements

Potato planting might only have finished in the last week of May, but our Northern Arable Insights grower James Pick is still reasonably optimistic for the crop this season. “We…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Norfolk estate assesses risks in move to no-insecticides

An estate near the north Norfolk coast is farming with no insecticides across nearly two-thirds of its land, and is hoping for flexibility to qualify for payments under new environmental…

Practical advice

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PEST MANAGEMENT

6 steps for granular potato nematicide best practice

Potato growers are being reminded to follow the best-practice protocol for granular nematicides this spring to ensure products are used safely and are protected for the future. Mark Taylor, chairman…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why hygiene is key to avoid soft rot spread in potato stores

Scottish potato growers are urged to remain vigilant against soft rots this storage period, with appropriate ventilation and meticulous hygiene key to avoid spread in seed and ware crops. A…

POTATOES

Should you use DMN in potato stores this season?

Processing potato growers had a positive experience with a new potato sprout suppressant last year, with the product achieving good sprout control in very challenging circumstances. However, pre-pack growers are…

POTATOES

Advice on reducing risk of late season disease in potatoes

With unsettled weather set to continue, potato haulm destruction could be a protracted process in many crops, particularly indeterminate varieties or those grown for seed. SAC Consulting’s potato expert Kyran…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Growers advised to check weed control before blight spraying

Potato growers are being advised to check fields to determine how well their herbicides have worked before the blight spraying season kicks off. Andrew Goodinson, potato agronomist at crop production…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How to keep potato crops free from weeds this spring

Potato planting has proved challenging for some and weed control could also be tricky. Farmers Weekly gets some regional strategic advice from the Association of Independent Potato Consultants (AIPC) before…

Insights

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POTATOES

Why industry-wide effort is needed to beat potato viruses

Across Europe, a recent rise in seed potato crops being downgraded due to virus diseases sends a very strong message that action must be taken now to arrest the upward…

POTATOES

Potato blight: What UK farmers can learn from Europe

A combination of wet weather, new double fungicide-resistant strains of blight and repeated block applications of fungicides resulted in 2023 being one of the worst late blight seasons in the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why increasing diversity in arable fields is key to IPM

Introducing greater diversity in arable fields is an important part of integrated strategies for disease and pest control, buying crucial time for slower acting biological solutions. Canadian soil specialist Joel…

POTATOES

Why late blight management just got more complicated

A late blight genotype that is resistant to a second fungicide mode of action continues to spread through Europe, meaning British potato growers will need to take extra care when…

POTATOES

How a trickle approach can cut potato irrigation costs

Diesel and electricity are the main energy sources used to pump water through irrigation systems. It was, therefore, a double whammy when last year’s high prices hit potato growers in…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Trial shows granular nematicide reduces losses from spraing

New research shows how farmers can successfully tackle the growing problem of free-living nematodes, and the subsequent spraing damage to tubers when they transmit tobacco rattle virus. Tobacco rattle virus…

POTATOES

4 steps to tackle PCN after granular nematicides

The last remaining granular nematicide for potato cyst nematode (PCN) control, Nemathorin (fosthiazate) faces an uncertain future on UK farms. While its approval holder, ISK, and marketer Syngenta have invested…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

How to keep tubers disease-free in potato stores

Both seed and ware potato growers are urged not to fall at the final hurdle and leave crops vulnerable to storage diseases this year, as field conditions push up the…

POTATOES

How new potato tech works to improve quality and yield

A specialist agri-tech research company has developed a number of camera and sensor based technologies to improve the quality and yield of potato crops, with plans to scale up across…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Round-up of firms offering strategic arable advice services

At a time of unprecedented change in the farming industry, there has never been a greater need for impartial advice and direction. Given current uncertainty, strategic agronomy services are increasingly…

PEST MANAGEMENT

New project tackles nematodes in potatoes and daffodils

A new three-year project aims to tackle the spread of plant parasitic nematodes in potatoes and daffodils using cover crops. Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are a growing problem in Scotland,…

NVZS

The rules for arable farming in an NVZ in NI and Scotland

Nitrate vulnerable zones exist to protect the environment against potential pollution from fertiliser and manure applications. Each devolved nation has its own rules – so what do arable farmers need…

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