Dutch Crop tour Potatoes - week 41
Does the dry season also affect storage?
Last weekend's rainstorm was a real blessing for many potato growers. In many places, it was already too dry last week to get potatoes into the shed properly.
It's been a while since the Netherlands had truly wet weather, but last weekend it finally happened: significant precipitation finally fell. Locally, up to 50 millimeters fell across the country. In the southwest, where rain is still most needed, the average was again slightly below average, at 25 millimeters. The northern provinces received the most millimeters of rain last weekend.
Drought continues in October
Just like with the Crop Tour, most onions have now been harvested, but nationwide, a fair percentage of potatoes are still in the ground. The Crop Tour participants also still have some of their acreage in the ground. The rain was more than welcome (or rather, much-needed) for harvesting the potatoes, although a bit more could have fallen, especially in the southwest of the Netherlands. Brian Salomé from Ijzendijke in Zeeland agrees. After the weekend, he had 25 millimeters in the rain gauge, but he says he needs another 20 millimeters before the ridge is truly wet.
In Kortgene, Zeeland, Klaasjan Boer received 23 millimeters of rain. "This is the most rainfall we've had since we planted the potatoes." It also became quite dry in the north last week. Jan Kolhorn from Uithuizermeeden stopped harvesting the Gewastour plot at the end of last week because too many hard clods were being stored in the barn.
Effect of dry growing season visible in the shed
Due to the lack of sufficient rain in the southwest, potassium uptake has remained limited, explains Kees Trouw from Hellevoetsluis in South Holland. Last week, he harvested his last potatoes, after first applying 28 millimeters of water. Due to the dry growing season, Trouw points out that the potatoes are more susceptible to damage. Due to the lower potassium uptake, cell voltage remains relatively high, which also increases the risk of storage problems. According to Trouw, the difference in rainfall between the northern and southern Netherlands will likely translate into quality differences later on. In the south, where rainfall remained less frequent, potatoes are more likely to be susceptible to storage problems such as internal pressure points. In the north, on the other hand, there was more localized rainfall, which likely improved the uptake of potassium, but certainly also MH. "That could make the difference in storage later on, whether a batch lasts longer," Trouw predicts.
At Rene Mesken's farm in Appelscha, Friesland, it was all dust behind the harvesting machine
Groningen resident Alex van Erp now has his potatoes in the shed
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According to the weather forecast for the next two weeks, it will remain dry again. This is actually perfect for the further progress of the autumn work. In the southwest, harvesting will resume soon after the weekend due to the 'limited' amount of precipitation. It remains to be seen how long it will be possible to continue harvesting properly without too much damage.
Jan Willem Veldman
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