A strategy where the first crop is harvested soon after the potato harvest 1,4SIGHT is administered pays off handsomely with lower storage loss. The administered amount of dormancy extender remains the same. That means pure profit.
"We have been advising it for a long time, but now we also have proof that it really works," says Bert Westhoff. BASF's technical product advisor presented the results of two storage trials with the dormancy extender to advisors of crop protection suppliers in mid-October.
The trial at WUR in Lelystad was the most extensive. Six different varieties (Fontane, Agria, Innovator, Milva, Melody and Lady Claire) were stored under three different regimes: 1,4SIGHT early (3-4 weeks after harvest), 1,4SIGHT late (start at white tip stage) and with orange oil. The trial at HLB in Wijster contained a similar trial, but with only Innovator. All potatoes came from the same batch and had undergone a successful MH treatment.
Better in all breeds
In both trials the early start strategy gave 1,4SIGHT the best results. In Lelystad, all varieties showed the same trend. There, an early start with 1,4SIGHT gave an average of 1% less storage loss; compared to orange oil, the difference was even 1,5%. At a price of 250 euros per ton, 1% less storage loss on a batch of 1000 gross tons means an advantage of €2.500 for the early start with 1,4SIGHT, Westhoff calculated. If only Innovator were considered, the difference over both trials was even €1000 greater. Westhoff therefore advises starting with 1,4SIGHT as soon as the potatoes are hand dry. "Because that really works better."
MH acts as a buffer
One of the reasons for the success of the dormancy extender 1,4SIGHT lies in the fact that the MH in a potato tuber only has to start working when the 1,4SIGHT has worn off (or is not yet present). So if you start late with 1,4SIGHT, the MH is used early. But if you start early with 1,4SIGHT and stop early, you will still have a considerable 'shear buffer' at the end of the storage season. That is an advantage when temperatures rise in the spring and the potatoes become restless. It also has a positive effect on, for example, the shelf life of table potatoes. Growers who have experience with the combination of MH and early application of 1,4SIGHT confirm these results, Westhoff concludes.