Potato yield lower than in recent years

The average yield of chips potatoes is lower than in previous years, but the distribution in tons per hectare on the plots is large. This can be deduced from the first trial harvesting this week (week 32) of the Innovator variety on the plots participating in the Boerenbusiness Crop tour.

These 10 plots are spread across the Netherlands. At least 4 times 1 square meter has been harvested on each plot to get a good idea of ​​the current yield. 

_{*Yield in tons of kilograms per hectare. 15% of the proceeds have been deducted due to spray marks, etc.}

Average Yield
The trial harvests of previous years were taken a few days earlier than this year. Despite those extra days, the average yield at 33.7 tons per hectare is lower than in recent years. This can mainly be explained by the plot in Appelscha, which was only planted on 20 June. At 7.2 tons per hectare, this brings down the average yield.

Without the plot in Appelscha, the average yield is 36.6 tons per hectare. This yield is close to the long-term average of the trial harvesting at the Boerenbusiness Crop tour. The highest yield this year was achieved on the Dronten plot of Jacco van Liere with 45.3 tons per hectare, followed by the plot in Mill en Sint Hubert with 42.9 tons per hectare. The other plots are under 40 tons. 

Cold and wet spring
After several relatively dry springs, we had to deal with a very wet and especially cold spring this growing season. The potato crop started at a snail's pace, but has so far managed to make a good recovery in terms of trial harvesting figures and crop status. It is also worth noting that a lot of precipitation has fallen during the season. This year, only 2 potato growers were irrigated once, while in previous years this was the case much more often and on several plots.

Underwater weight
Just like last year, the underwater weight (OWG) of the potatoes was also measured this year. Earlier this season, the OWG was disappointing several times, according to various sources. That seems to have increased considerably for the Crop Tour plots. The average OWG is 362.8 grams. A slight increase compared to the 2020 season.

Jesse Torringa

Jesse is an editor at Boerenbusiness and focuses in particular on the arable farming sector, including grain and onions. He also closely follows the fertilizer market. In addition, Jesse works on an arable farm in Groningen with seed potatoes as the main branch.

j.torringa@boerenbusiness. Nl

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