PCA's trial harvestings of Monday 23 July (with regard to the medium-early potato varieties Amora and Sinora) show that the differences between the irrigated and non-irrigated plots are considerable.
7 plots of Amora were sampled, of which 3 plots were irrigated. The average hectare yield of the irrigated plots was 37 tons (300 kilos per hectare, per day). This while the plots that were not irrigated showed an average of 24 tons (36 kilos per hectare, per day).
In previous years, an average of 36 tons per hectare was sampled at this point in the season. However, this season the drought is the bummer and that average is nowhere near being achieved. The fries quality is good, though, which is a stroke of luck. This considering the disappointing kilos.
In addition, the Sinora potato variety was sampled for the first time this season. After 87 growing days, the average hectare yield was 23 tons, almost 10 tons (or 30%) less than the average for previous years.
Potato harvest below average
De drought, and high temperatures, will cause the average yield of the mid-early varieties to be well below average. The eventual growth curve for the coming years could well be seen as an absolute bottom. In that context, it is exciting to see what the potato varieties of the main harvest will show.
In that sense, the trial harvesting varieties such as Innovator and Fontane are disappointing, and rain is needed in the short term to regain any significant growth. An important question is also: how will the potato varieties that suffer from the drought and heat react when it starts to rain? In any case, that it will rain again someday is a certainty.