News Arable
Sensus expands acreage of chicory after a bad year
The chicory harvest has now been completed. Processor Sensus reports that there is good demand for inulin, but that the yields were disappointing last season. In the coming season, Sensus will expand the acreage of chicory to keep up with demand.
"The growing conditions for chicory were downright bad last year," says René Schunselaar, agro manager at Sensus. "The crop received 2 major blows. The spring was very dry and the structure of the soil was poor, which made it difficult for the crop to start. August and September in particular were dry and very warm. The chicory is therefore quite in season during this important period. stunted growth."
Difficult start
Due to the bad conditions, a slightly larger area was sown that spring. It was not easy for growers to make a good seedbed on clay soils. Rain could have saved a lot here, but it didn't happen. Dust damage has occurred in various places on the sandy soils due to the dry spring. As a result, a larger area than average was sown last year or even a different crop was planted because of the late time.
Several growers - who have the opportunity - have irrigated the chicory. "We have seen different variants, preparing for the land, after preparation but before sowing and after sowing. Irrigation between seedbed preparation and sowing seems to give the best results, but watering chicory is no easy task and the results are variable" according to Schunselaar.
The campaign kicked off last season on September 1. Schunselaar: "The inulin stocks were almost exhausted. That is why we started the harvest on time. We chose to start the campaign at a slow pace to give growers the opportunity to grow the crop for as long as possible. to let grow." Chicory yields are on average 10% lower than last year and are below the long-term average. "The spread in yields between the growers is large. We also see a group of growers who manage to achieve yields above the target value despite the difficult circumstances."
Continuity
Despite the average yields this year, a fixed group of growers remains faithful to the crop. Sensus sets the contract conditions annually, but strives for stability in doing so. "That gives growers clarity and confidence. One bad year does not immediately make many growers decide to stop cultivation. Chicory can often achieve a good return in several years, and many growers know that," says the manager. "Thanks to the clear contracts, a farmer knows in advance what the crop can yield in terms of payment."
In the coming year, Sensus will expand the acreage of chicory. "Due to the corona crisis, the demand for inulin even seems to be increasing," says Schunselaar. "There is only limited availability and the increased demand lays a healthy foundation in the market. To meet the extra demand, there is room to grow more chicory and Sensus is expanding its production capacity." Sensus has no complaints about interest in cultivation. The larger area for 2021 has now been completely filled. "A number of existing growers have expanded the acreage, but new growers have also been added."
Limited resource package
Chicory is a robust crop that is not very sensitive to diseases and pests. Controlling weeds is an important point of attention in chicory cultivation. Only a limited resource package is available. That will be further thinned out next season due to the disappearance of Chlorine IPC. Other critical herbicides are also under pressure.
Sensus is actively committed to preserving a crucial package of resources and believes in integrated solutions in which the use of safe herbicides is combined with non-chemical alternatives. There is also a lot of attention for mechanical weed control. "It is not easy to get the crop clean with chemistry alone. The latest generation of weeding harrows and camera-controlled hoes are a nice addition that achieves good results. Last year we gained experience with a weed puller. This machine offers a means of stopping escaped clearing weeds certainly also opportunities in chicory cultivation."
More mechanical weed control
More and more noises are coming from The Hague and Brussels to limit the use of crop protection products as much as possible. Sensus and Cosun are therefore conducting various pilots to investigate how Integrated Crop Management can best be given shape using the existing techniques. A new program has also been launched in which initiatives to work more with mechanical weed control in practice are given concrete support.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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