Dutch Crop tour potato - week 29
Potatoes have suffered from heat
The first very warm days are over. Several potato growers indicate that their crop tour plot has deteriorated due to the heat and drought. However, the growth is certainly not over yet and the number of tubers that were there at the start of the season seems to be all there.
With temperatures reaching almost 40 degrees, the potatoes had a hard time over the past 7 days. Potato growers indicated that they see their crop tour plots deteriorate due to the drought and some are dealing with a serious infestation with phytophthora. We also ask the growers about the ideal tuber setting and how it is this year compared to last year.
Current yield could have been more
At Mark de Beer from Leende (NB) all their reels are still running at full speed. Last Tuesday, July 20, some precipitation fell, but that was far from sufficient. They have not yet finished irrigating. "Even if a thick 10 millimeters falls, that is still not enough for the potatoes". Irrigation has also ensured that De Beer got Phytophthora in a few plots. "If you irrigate your leaves will of course be wet for longer, but you can also not spray for a few days. Then you are so behind on your spraying schedule with regard to Phytophthora."
In terms of tuber setting, De Beer has an average of 10 tubers, which he is not dissatisfied with. "But it could have been a bit more." Last year he was on 12 tubers he is aiming for. "Innovators never put that much, Fontane's are sitting on more tubers this year." Last year De Beer had a lower yield from the crop tour plot than he had hoped. This season he sees his crop tour plot deteriorate earlier compared to last year. This is because he planted very early. How this affects the yield will be shown later.
In Driewegen (Z) at Daan Goense's, there are 9 tubers under a plant that he is satisfied with. Last year he had a little more tubers but they didn't get big so he didn't eat the barrels. His potatoes have deteriorated sharply from the heat. He cannot irrigate, but he says that the potatoes of growers in the area who do irrigate are also deteriorating. Goense has no problems with Phytophthora this year. He has adhered well to his spraying schedule and performed his MH spraying on the Crop Tour plot last Thursday.
At potato grower Jacco van Liere from Dronten (Fl), the potatoes are currently growing rapidly. However, he expects that his crop tour plot will not give the most growth in August. He was the first potato grower of the crop tour to plant his Innovator.
Kilos will come
Herman Schlepers from Dronten (Fl) says that Phytophthora is still dormant in his plot, especially along the tree line where potatoes remain in the shade for a long time. He has it under control, partly due to the warm weather of last weekend, but is looking forward to it. He has been watering his potatoes for the past few days. "It seems that the crop tour plot has withstood the heat reasonably well," says Schlepers. The general picture in the Flevopolder is that the green color is becoming lighter. The late planted plots in particular hold up better in this heat.
In terms of tuber setting, Schlepers is heading towards 15 tubers, which puts him on the high side. Just like last year, he preferred to be on 10 to 11 so that the Innovator has room to get to size. However, Schlepers does not see it badly. He thinks that if the potatoes still grow until August, he will gain weight.
Robin Winter
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.
