It is over and done with the growth in the French fries potatoes. This is apparent from the latest trial harvesting figures from Aviko Potato. The yield is now below the 5-year average and there is hardly any green space left. That while in other seasons there were still tons of growth at the moment.
Aviko's first test harvests were not disappointing when you compare them with the results of previous years. Growth was even ahead in the first weeks of the trial harvesting this season, but stagnated much earlier than average and the hectare yields are now below the five-year average. The disappointing growth is clearly reflected in the crop, which gave up considerably earlier than normal this season.
The weekly growth is now zero and between weeks 35 and 36 it contained only 1 tonne per hectare. This brings the gross yield in week 36 to approximately 61 tons. If you subtract 15% to 20% from this figure for spray tracks, headlands and corners, the net yield is approximately 48 to 51 tons per hectare.
During the trial harvest, in addition to yield and quality, crop vitality is also examined. The more vital the crop, the more growth potential. What is striking this year is that crop vitality in week 36 is very low compared to previous years. Currently, crop vitality is so low that hardly any growth is expected anymore, making week 36 the last yield determination. In other years, the trial harvesting continued until week 40.
Since the start of the trial harvesting in week 30, the gross yield has increased from more than 40 to approximately 60 tons. The test plots are spread throughout the Netherlands, including Flevoland, North Brabant and Limburg. More than 60% of these plots are irrigated and have therefore suffered less from the drought and heat, resulting in more kilos growing. Irrigated plots are showing much better yields this year, which makes the trial harvest figures much higher.
OWG remains extremely high
After a decrease in week 35, the underwater weight increased again last week from 412 to 416 grams. This means that the OWG is still far above average. The five-year average is approximately 385 grams in week 36. The size of the batches (50 millimeters upwards) increased from 81% to 82% last week. This means that the batch size of the chip potatoes is even lower than in 2018 and far below the five-year average. Since the start of the trial harvesting (week 30), the tubers have not become much larger. In week 30, 70% of the potatoes already had the coarse size sorting.