'Good potato weather, provided you have water'

On many potato plots of the Boerenbusiness Crop tour the irrigation installations emerged last week. But, in hindsight, the temperature turned out to be not too bad. The expectations for the coming week are also far from extreme. "It is simply good potato weather, although you must have water available."

7 of the 10 potato plots that participate in the Crop Tour have already been or are being irrigated. 15 millimeters was irrigated on the plot with Innovator in Middenmeer (North Holland), with the main aim of keeping the tubers in good condition. Irrigation has been taking place on the potato plot in Dronten (Flevoland) since Friday 28 June.

It does not seem immediately necessary to irrigate on the Crop Tour plot in Fijnaart (North Brabant). However, since the weather forecasts do not indicate any rain, preventive irrigation is still taking place. The same is the case on the plot in Ens (Flevoland), where 1 millimeters were rained on Monday 15 July. The plots in Escharen (North Brabant) and Voorst (Gelderland) have already been irrigated for the second time. 

Extreme heat 
Monday 24 June and Tuesday 25 June it was very hot on the crops of the Crop Tour. On Tuesday, the temperature even rose above 30 degrees Celsius everywhere in the country, with the exception of the Wadden Islands. These high temperatures caused the crop to hang its foliage on a number of plots. 

Good potato weather
Despite the high temperatures and the fear of drought on the plots, calm seems to have returned. The conditions on the potato plots appear favourable, provided that it is possible to irrigate. The temperatures released are conducive to growth. Another factor is that the days are long, with many hours of sunshine. 

With the exception of a single Crop Tour plot, almost all fertilizer has been applied. It is expected that this, in combination with the irrigation, will become available soon. 

Phytophthora
Phytophthora has emerged on the Gewastour plot in Ens (Flevoland). The disease pressure in the region around this plot is high. The plot also has a large amount of foliage (with a lot of young leaves), which increases the chance of infection. To combat this disease, spraying is carried out every 7 days. The disease pressure of Phytophthora is also high around the potato plot in Dronten (Flevoland).

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