Dutch Crop tour Potato - week 33
First potato plots are starting to wear out
Despite the late start of the growing season, the draft is already starting to come in quite a bit on the plots with Innovator. It is not surprising that the MH spraying is already being used on several plots. Phytophthora also lurks around and provides an extra round with the field sprayer, the growers who participate in the Boerenbusiness Dutch Crop tour.
The first plots with Innovator are already on the decline, according to various growers. And if that hasn't happened yet, according to the potato growers, it will happen in the coming days with the expected warmer and clammy weather. Despite the late potato planting, it is not surprising, because the potatoes have already had to deal with quite a bit of tapping in recent weeks with drought, heat, but also heavy rainfall.
The fact that the potato crop is on the wane made Zeeland potato grower Brian Salome decide to carry out the MH spraying. "Last Monday I sprayed MH. I can see that the plants are really deteriorating now. Fortunately, he had no problems with phytophthora in IJzendijke. "You sometimes see leaves, but that did not cause any problems." In other parts of the Netherlands, the precipitation has not been too bad recently."I could actually still drive across the plot at any time," says Salome.
Potatoes could use more water
Potato grower Daan Tap from Elst in Gelderland carried out the MH spraying last Tuesday afternoon. Tap is clear about the state of the crop: "The potatoes have just started to wear out, but I think it will go fast this weekend. They will give up around 30 degrees here." Due to the recent precipitation, the moisture supply has been well replenished, but with the warmer days a lot evaporates again and, according to Tap, more precipitation is welcome. "With the higher temperatures, the soil moisture sensors quickly indicate that moisture is needed again. The potatoes could use a little extra. This weekend they will also give off thunderstorms, but you never know in advance how much will fall."
On the Gewastour plot in Hellevoetsluis (South Holland), the potato crop has been declining since the beginning of August, as can be seen from the maps of BioScope. Bioscope's biomass and regrowth maps clearly show that the biomass of the plot is decreasing. Especially on the east side of the lot. The biomass is indicated with an index value from 0 to 1, where 0 means no biomass. On July 26, the index of the Innovator plot in Hellevoetsluis was 0,568. Until August 10, that had decreased to 0,46. Also on the regrowth map a large part turns yellow and red and the value is negative, which indicates that the crop is deteriorating and is wearing out.
The biomass at Tap in Elst had also decreased from 0,59 to 0,50,
The potato growers of the Gewastour continue to spray against phytophthora with the damp weather and the possible (thunderstorm) showers that are expected. They are on top of it with a smaller interval, which is badly needed. Despite that, they regularly find infestations of phytophthora spread over the plot. The long-term and heavy rainfall therefore also has its downside in potatoes. It also became too wet in some places and water remained, causing water damage, especially in lower places with a lesser structure.
Jesse Torringa
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