The picture of early potatoes in the Netherlands is variable. The early planted potatoes do not have an easy time due to a combination of precipitation and cold. Planting resumed at the end of April, but under varying conditions. A similar picture can be seen across Europe.
Potatoes were planted as early as Valentine's Day, until early March. The conditions were favorable with a beautiful soil structure. The surface was also often drier eight weeks ago than it is now. These early plots are now surfacing. The potato plants have been in transit for a long time due to a combination of cold and rain.
Big differences
The situation in the field is very variable. "From very cheerful to very sad," Jan van der Slik summarizes. He is a cultivation advisor for Van Iperen at Goeree-Overflakkee and in West Brabant. "Last year it was also possible to plant early and that turned out well. This year, arable farmers have done the same and the situation is very different. We encounter problems with rot in the pots or the potatoes simply do not do anything. The seed potatoes petrify. Between You see big differences between growers and plots. What was the soil like, the tillage, pre-crop and the variety. Everything plays a role."
Problems with emergence mainly occur within a plot. Headlands and low spots have had problems with flooding. Re-planting is usually not an option. By the time you can get into the country, you are too late and seed potatoes are not available. “Take your loss and move on,” says Van der Slik matter-of-factly.
Delayed emergence
Early planting was also done on the light soil in Zeeland, with mixed results. Tholen - the cradle of early (table) potatoes - has also received a lot of precipitation. There are also plenty of plots with attendance problems. Again, this is very local and depends on the plot and location. Not all growers on Tholen ultimately covered their plots with plastic. The planting date was later, the costs of foil were high and the required labor was not available everywhere.
"A few years ago, the plastic had to be removed on King's Day, because it hindered foliage growth. That is really not the case now," is how Delphy advisor Leen van Marion describes the difference. "The first plots are only now coming through. It is clear that there is a clear growth lag." Still, he finds it difficult to say anything about the state of the crop. "We see rotten tubers and black hearts, especially in low places and headlands. It is difficult to indicate what percentage of the plants have problems. But it will certainly not be a winner."
Fertilization a challenge
"The traces of soil cultivation, manure injection and planting can be seen in the plots," Bram de Visser of CZAV knows from experience. "The speed of growth is not possible with the cold and wet weather. Many arable farmers had hoped to be able to inject liquid manure, while this has usually not been possible on winter wheat. Given the weather conditions, the question is to what extent this will still be successful. Because liquid manure also contains phosphate and potassium, it is an excellent fertilizer for potatoes. The will is there, but it also has to be possible."
Where planting was done last week, it was certainly not easy everywhere. "These are the plots where you now see water after 30 to 40 mm of precipitation," says Van Marion. "The structure is good, but it was still too wet, especially on the winter land. Planting went reasonably well on spring-plowed soil. If it had stayed dry for a few days, the soil could have dried up. Now a lot of water immediately fell on it."
Waiting for clarity
Growers in North Limburg and East Brabant were able to get into the fields early this year. Potatoes were planted on time, but it is difficult to say how those crops will develop. "We are certainly later than usual," says Leon Thijssen, potato account manager at Agrea. "We have to wait until all the crops are up. It is still too early to say anything about that. Not much was planted last week because the conditions were simply not good yet."
Situation in Europe
In Belgium, Germany and parts of France the situation is not much different than ours. Here too, a lot of precipitation fell in March and April and it was difficult to start the planting work. In Germany, planting has taken place in the early cultivation areas, but the cold weather has also caused crop development to get off to a slow start here. In France it is very wet, especially in the coastal areas. The east is considerably drier, which means that sowing and planting took place on time.
Long-term storekeepers must store potatoes from the past harvest year for at least thirteen weeks. Given the late breeding time, this may be even longer. "Many more operating hours have been made this storage season," says Reinier Stoutjesdijk. He is a storage specialist in the South-West of the Netherlands for Delphy. "The potatoes that come out of the shed at the end of April look like it's June." Yet the advisor sees that processors have no problems with this. "The need for potatoes is so great that lesser batches also find their way. If the underwater weight and length are good, they are processed smoothly."