Crop tour Week 27
Growers satisfied with the potato plots
The precipitation of the past 2 weeks has resulted in the reels being able to be put back in the barn or yard. But not everywhere: in places in the Netherlands there has been too little rainfall and irrigation of the potatoes remains necessary.
Many growers participating in the Boerenbusiness Giving a crop tour to wait for the coming weekend. If there is too little rainfall, the reels are used again and otherwise they remain in the shed or in the yard.
This table shows the amount of precipitation in millimeters over the past 2 weeks.
| Plot | Quantity in mm |
| Cuijk (North Brabant) | 54,4 |
| Scharendijke (Zealand) | 18,5 |
| Fijnaart (North Brabant) | 45,5 |
| Dronten (Flevoland) | 22,9 |
| Ens (Flevoland) | 29 mm |
| Hank (North Brabant) | 4,8 |
| Middenmeer (North Holland) | 23,1 |
| Someren (North Brabant) | 29,2 |
| Appelscha (Friesland) | 19,8 |
| Oldeholtwolde (Friesland) | 17,5 |
| Average: | 26,5 |
Scharendijk: More precipitation is welcome
More precipitation is welcome on the plot in Scharendijke. "On the hot days, about 5 millimeters per day evaporate, I think, 10 millimeters fell here last night (Wednesday). I hope there will be more precipitation before the weekend, so that the potatoes have enough moisture," says the grower from Scharendijke. The grower cannot irrigate on the plot. The rows have now been closed for 2 weeks and almost finished flowering.
Dronten: Substrate dry
"We can't grumble about the precipitation," says the grower from Dronten. "If we look at the start of the season and how much work we have done to get the potatoes in the ground and provide them with moisture, the rainfall is very welcome." The furrow on the plot in Dronten is wet, underneath it is dry. If there is no more precipitation during the rest of the week, the reel will be used again at the beginning of week 28.
Appelscha: Precipitation comes on time
"The potatoes are looking good in Appelscha," the grower reports. Last week they were fertilized with KAS. "Because the potatoes grow in sandy soil, they do get dusty. Because the rain has come on time in recent weeks, we don't have to irrigate ourselves and we don't have much trouble with dust."
Fijnaar: Curious about late turnout
Fijnaar has had regular rainfall in the past 2 weeks. The precipitation came in showers of about 10 millimeters. As a result, the potato plot was well supplied with moisture. The soil is siltable from 20 to 55%. Due to the heat of last week, the flowering on the light soil has stopped and the foliage is limp. On the heavier stretches, the rows are closed for about a week.
"I don't expect the heat to have much impact on the potatoes. I am curious about the tuber formation of the late potatoes," says the West Brabant grower. The potato has already wasted a lot of energy and the grower thinks it is still too early to judge the tuber formation of the late potatoes. The grower is curious how much impact this will have on vitality and tuber formation.
Cuijk: Haspel is in the plot
In Cuijk they planned to start irrigation this week. The reel is already ready in the plot. Because 17 millimeters fell yesterday and tonight (Wednesday), they leave the reel. "Now we're going to wait for the weekend," says the grower. He is satisfied with the amount of precipitation and the condition of the crop. If there is no precipitation during the weekend, rain will start early next week.
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