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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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CROP MANAGEMENT

How 14 family business partners run a 1,600ha mixed farm

Whyte Bros Farm, north of Dublin, operates a unique farming system, with 14 family business partners running the 1,600ha farm. The collaborative journey began in the 1950s when seven brothers…

POTATOES

Estate grows low input potato crop with no yield loss

Holkham Estate in north Norfolk successfully grew a 10ha field of salad potatoes with zero synthetic fungicide, fertiliser or insecticide applications, without any loss in marketable yield. Harry Barnett, potato…

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,…

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

What new blight strain means for fungcide strategies in 2025

It was at the tail end of last season that monitoring by Fight Against Blight (FAB) confirmed the EU46 strain had been found in Wales and eastern Scotland, marking the…

POTATOES

Research reveals critical two-month period for potato yields

Setting up potato crops during the period between planting and the onset of tuber bulking to achieve optimum bulking rates is crucial for maximising potato yields.   This is according…

POTATOES

Wireworm in potatoes: Rising threat and how to control it

Wireworm damage is now an increasing risk in potato crops across the country, including eastern counties and up into the Scottish Borders.  This highlights the need to understand the reasons…

POTATOES

How to stop rhizoctonia denting potato yields this spring

Researchers agree that work needs to be done to understand the impact of changing growing systems on a key soil-borne pathogen of potato crops. Until then, the advice on managing…

POTATOES

Potato cyst nematode: Measures being considered in Scotland

Measures to protect Scotland’s seed potato sector from the spread of potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are likely to have implications for ware growers across Great Britain. Roughly 80% of the…

POTATOES

Potato growers advised to stock up mancozeb for new strain

Potato growers are being advised to stock up on the multisite fungicide mancozeb before sales end on 30 November, to help manage resistance risk next season. The advice follows confirmation…

POTATOES

Potato growing innovations to cut inputs and carbon footprint

With intensive soil cultivations and high levels of inputs often required to produce commercial crops, there was plenty of innovation on display at a recent two-day potato event in Lincolnshire…

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…

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