Recently by John Sarup

Further heavy showers has hampered planting progress, particularly for those with more bodied land, the dilemma being do you move soil to dry it out and run the risk of it getting wet again, putting you back to square one.

Conversely some growers in Cheshire are just about to start harvesting Maris Bard, grown under fleece. Quality and tuber numbers look good, the problem will be that crops not grown under fleece have a lot to do to follow on.

Applying pre-emergence herbicides in some parts of the country is proving challenging with regard to actually getting on to the fields. In some cases 100% emergence has occurred before application has been made. This can be risky as you are relying on the contact action of diquat or carfentrazone to take the foliage back to ground level to avoid residual uptake. Be aware that some varieties are extremely sensitive to metribuzin post emergence, so if in doubt use alternative actives.

Planting in Cheshire got off to a flying start at the end of February and early March. Soil conditions were exceptionally good with chitted first earlies, covered with fleece, emerging rapidly.

 

Even planting in Lancashire got off to a relatively early start. Most growers in Yorkshire and the Borders made a start during the third week of March, planting in to very good soil conditions.

 

April seems to have given us all a reality check with much-needed rain and cold weather slowing things down. Soil temperatures have plummeted with sprouts hardly moving over the past two weeks and there has only been a little root development.

Most, if not all crops, have now been harvested with some huge yields reported. Quality is variable with the main challenge ahead probably marketing and moving the crop.

 

I am hearing reports of some store breakdown, particularly where harvest into store continued during the very hot and dry weather in September. The first ground frost of the autumn on 20 October resulted in tuber temperatures dropping 3-4C almost overnight.

 

This resulted in a massive increase in bruising levels in a number of varieties. Therefore, if you have not already sampled your stores for quality I suggest you do so, paying particular attention to the areas of store that were loaded around that date.

 

As always the weather provides us with some real challenges. If it's not too wet then it's too dry.

 

One good thing is that the recent dry spell has helped reduce the spread of bacterial rots, with the main problem now being bruising and how to avoid it. Carrying soil on harvesters is proving difficult at times, if not already doing so can you use a smaller web? Keep the harvester full if you can, even when turning at the row ends.

 

Despite most soils being drier than normal during tuber initiation there are now reports of black dot development on high-risk packing crops. Periods of stress may have physiologically aged the crop, possibly resulting in early senescence of the canopy.

Oh the joy of growing potatoes! There is always a challenge somewhere. Certainly in the area in which I cover across northern England and into the Scottish Borders there is a huge amount of variability in crops. Generally size is not an issue and it is mainly tuber number which is determining whether a crop is high or low yielding.

 

If anything most crops are on the bold side so making decisions on the timing of burn down will be crucial if oversize is to be prevented. Quality is also extremely variable mainly due to Blackleg, but latterly powdery scab seems to be more prevalent due to the cool and damp conditions in August.

 

Blackleg is likely to be a hot topic for the rest of this year and into next, particularly with the amounts found in ware crops due for storage and the amounts found in seed crops, particularly in parts of the UK where there has been more rainfall.

Much need rainfall has fallen over many parts of the areas that I cover across the north of England, however amounts have varied considerably. Canopy development has been good, although I am now coming across damage caused by rhizoctonia, free living nematodes and PCN in patches within fields.

I firmly believe that if crops can achieve complete ground cover by mid-June they are in a good place to make the use of the radiation produced during the long daylight hours of midsummer and convert it to yield.

Having said that there are a number of crops, particularly seed crops which have yet to reach 50% ground cover, however they seem to be producing good tuber numbers.

Once again it seems to be the weather that is steeling the headlines. There has been no significant rainfall and the often strong winds are making spraying difficult.

Most residual herbicides have been applied and I must say that I am generally pleased with the result, it's just a case now of assessing where further control is needed with Titus (rimsulfuron). It's worth remembering that it does do a fairly good job on grassweeds as well as tidying up oilseed rape and cleavers.

My attention will now start to focus on blight control, both early and late along with aphid control in seed crops. Don't forget to check all potato dumps and destroy any growth present. Covering with black plastic is as good a control method as any as it not only stops growth but also encourages tubers to break down and rot.

With no significant rainfall at all in April, so far, along with above average temperatures, the planting of ware crops has continued into mainly good conditions with crops emerging through the ground quickly.

 

Weeds are also emerging, but in dry conditions I find choosing herbicides a real challenge as the residual element relies on moisture. Without it, it will have little effect, but cost a lot of money.

 

As a result, I will probably use linuron at the maximum allowed 600g of active plus a low rate of metribuzin, where variety allows, plus diquat or carfentrazone, depending on emerged weed spectrum with a follow up post-emergence application of rimsulfuron.

 

March really did go out like a lion with some very strong winds. But there is still a distinct lack of rainfall, particularly across the eastern side of the country, and I have only recorded 3mm for the whole month.

On a visit to Lancashire last week, when the wind was at its peak, I saw soil being blown around in great dust clouds, no doubt a huge worry for growers of vulnerable vegetable crops.

However, soil conditions have been ideal for potato planting, which has continued in all areas. Indeed, some of my clients are close to finishing. The early spring has come with some issues particularly regarding seed supply, with some growers still waiting for deliveries.

I often have discussions with my clients about getting seed in early (pre-Christmas) and managing it so that they can get the best out of it, but the problem always comes back to having suitable storage, especially CIPC free storage.

So, here we are again, the years seem to go by so quickly the older I get! Clients in Cheshire have been planting for over a week now, in to pretty good conditions, particularly behind grass where the organic matter from the root mass keeps the soil open and friable.

I think that the use of organic matter, be it in the form of farm yard manure, green cover crops or compost has a big part to play in soil management, perhaps a topic for discussion at a later date. Soil temperatures are generally below 8C, however covering with fleece within a day of planting tends to make use of any warmth from the relatively weak sun.

Over the last few years I have found that even on a dull, cold March morning the temperature under the fleece has been a good 1-2C higher than non covered crops. This increase in temperature also helps crops grow away from potential Rhizoctonia issues that may be lurking around in cold, wet soils.