Potato farmers using maleic hydrazide to prevent sprouting in stores are set to benefit from a new delivery system aimed at speeding up the sprayer filling process.

Maleic Hydrazide is a plant growth regulator used in potatoes for sprouting and volunteer control. It is applied just before crop senescence and translocated into the tubers to provide its effect.

See also: Why potato sprout management now starts in the field

For best effect, it must be applied in the right conditions (see box), which relies on maximising sprayer output when the conditions are just right. 

To help farmers achieve this, Certis has teamed up with Wisdom Systems to develop a new intermediate bulk container (IBC) combined with a closed transfer system. 

The liquid product, Crown MH, is now available in 600-litre IBCs, delivered by the time-saving FasTran 850 closed transfer system.

Instead of using 5kg packs of granular maleic hydrazide, which are slow to load and prone to foaming, sprayer operators can draw Crown MH straight from the IBC while filling their sprayer with water.

Wisdom Systems’ Richard Garnett estimates a time saving of up to 30mins a load, facilitating an extra one to two loads a day when conditions are right.

Other benefits include a 2,000-fold reduction in operator exposure risk, compared to pouring and rinsing, and waste packaging is eliminated by refillable IBCs which are collected free of charge.