Chris Steele’s Top Planting Tips

 

Creating optimum planting conditions with a constant planting depth helps growers achieve maximum yields, improve crop uniformity and maintain the competitiveness of their business.  “Key actions and decisions growers can take ahead of potato planting can impact on quality and saleable yield, so it’s worthwhile considering the following points before beginning planting," he says. He also reminds growers to take into account the effects previous crops have had on the soil structure.

 

Be clear on the quality levels you expect from your seed. All growers should take time and care in assessing their seed at delivery and before planting to ensure customer requirements are fulfilled. For independent information on varieties go to www.potato.org.uk/varieties. 

 

Seed health is one of the key factors underpinning a good crop. Growers should check the provenance of any purchased seed, and ideally request supplies accredited under the Safe Haven certification scheme. 

 

The scheme is an invaluable tool in the fight to prevent non-indigenous diseases, such as Ring Rot, that can cause not only great inconvenience but also severe financial loss to growers. It also offers additional protection against other bacterial diseases including Dickeya-Blackleg and Brown Rot.

 

The scheme is scientifically robust, in other words, it’s not just about getting a rubber stamp for quality, it’s about achieving very significant risk reduction too. 

 

With 60 per cent of the British seed area now producing Safe Haven certified seed, it is increasingly practical to take a decision to only source seed with this additional protection.

 

More information on the Safe Haven certification scheme and Dickeya Solani can be found at www.potato.org.uk/safehaven.

 

Growers who are not buying ‘just-in-time’ for planting are advised to ensure temporary seed storage facilities will maintain maximum quality as the time between delivery and planting can often be three or  four weeks. Jumbo bags are designed to transport potatoes, not store them! 

 

To maintain quality, seed potatoes should be decanted into clean boxes after delivery as this also enables a thorough inspection. Seed should not be stored in boxes or sheds where CIPC has been used. It is also important to keep potatoes in a well-ventilated building until planting.

 

Even for those with ‘just-in-time’ delivery, planting is often delayed due to the weather. Therefore it is important to have a backup plan and ensure dry and airy, temporary storage facilities are available.

 

For further information on the seed storage download the Store Managers' Guide or call the Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research advice Line free on 0800 02 82 111.

 

The Potato Council seed rate guides for Estima, Saturna, Lady Rosetta, Maris Peer, Maris Piper and Hermes are available online.

 

Growers using any of these varieties could try planting a few rows spaced according to the guides and compare the results with their standard spacing.

 

Closely graded seed will reduce the number of blanks and doubles and improve crop uniformity.

 

The Seed Rate Guides can be downloaded from the online publications library.

 

Most growers understand that to use nitrogen efficiently they must know the Soil Nitrogen Supply (SNS) status of the field they are planting. 

 

However, recommendations split potato varieties into one of four groups according to their degree of determinacy (a measure of the crop’s capacity to maintain leaf production after the first appearance of flowers). Determinacy of the variety has a huge influence on fertiliser requirements. Ongoing Potato Council research at Cambridge University Farm (CUF) has consistently shown that for a given length of growing season, indeterminate varieties (variety groups 3 and 4) require less nitrogen than determinate varieties (variety groups 1 and 2).

 

The ‘Crop Nutrition for Potatoes’ guide is useful when planning nutritional requirements, as it assists growers to evaluate the nutritional values of organic manures used to reduce the reliance on expensive manufactured fertiliser.

 

It’s a good idea to use the Potato Council guide alongside the eighth edition of RB209 as the guide also contains a more comprehensive list of variety determinacy ratings needed to calculate nitrogen requirements. To ensure efficient nitrogen use it is essential to apply the fertiliser within 50 days of emergence.

 

To request a copy, please contact publications@potato.ahdb.org.uk

 

Further information relevant to England and Wales can be downloaded from here:

In Scotland, further information, including publications TN621 and TN625, are available at www.sac.ac.uk/publications.

 

While all commercial varieties are susceptible to blight, there are some subtle differences that can be utilised by growers who have a lot of hectares to spray and will inevitably face high blight pressures combined with poor spraying conditions. It is worth considering this and building it in to the flexibility any spray programme will need. This should take into account the limited curative properties of some fungicides when spray intervals are extended or blight is found in the crop. 

 

It is also essential to have a plan to deal with sources of infection such as volunteers and potato outgrade piles, and Chris recommends growers not to forget about them in the heat of the season.

 

Register for alerts for Smith Periods and blight outbreaks at www.potato.org.uk/blight

Information on varietal resistance can be found on the British Variety Database at www.potato.org.uk/varieties.

 

As growers cover more hectares with the same kit than in the past, planting schedules may become squeezed. Pre-season planning won’t remove problems, but will help mitigate them. Where possible, growers should try to be flexible to deal with seasonal weather, evaluating whether the ground is suitable for planting; dry enough not to cause compaction when driven over by heavy plant; moist enough to ensure prompt initiation of tuber growth.

 

In extreme conditions such as very dry or very wet, it is important to manage the soil according to type. For example, when in good condition, light soils are naturally free-draining and do not remain wet for long periods. There are usually long periods in the year when these soils may be worked without damage.  However, their structure is often weak because of the low clay and organic matter content. Furthermore, the soil surface is easily broken up by rain and forms a cap when it dries. The topsoil may fall apart, causing the soil to slump and it may set solid when it dries out. Water gets into soils more slowly if they are capped, slumped or have poor soil structure, which can lead to runoff and erosion during rainfall. Such soils are prone to compaction, particularly when used to grow potato crops. 

 

Many heavy soils have a low permeability, making them prone to waterlogging and the ponding of water on the surface. They can lie wet for long periods and are susceptible to compaction. All operations have to be carefully timed to ensure that soil structure is not damaged by wheelings or tillage implements. The combination of low permeability and compaction can result in surface runoff carrying fertilisers, manures and slurries, sediment and pesticides into watercourses.

 

More information on soil management, including two Potato Council funded reviews on compaction can be found at the Soils and Water hub here. See also; Steps towards making irrigation more efficient

 

In previous years the Environment Agency (EA) has been apparently lenient in accepting applications for renewal right up to the point of expiry and has considered applications submitted after the expiry date of the old licence. This will no longer be the case and in future the EA will be enforcing the legislation - licence holders must get their applications to the EA at least three months before the old licence expires in order for it to be processed and for them to be permitted to continue abstracting while their application is being determined. If applications are not received in time it will be treated as a new application which may mean that details of the application would need to be advertised. If the requested abstraction is in an over-abstracted or over-licensed catchment there is a possibility it may not be renewed under the same terms and conditions as the previous licence and, in some cases, may even run the risk of not being renewed at all.

 

Similar guidelines are in force in Scotland and are the responsibility of SEPA.

 

Always read the small print to ensure cross compliance. 

Contact the Environment Agency for guidance at the Permitting Support Centre on 0114 289 340 or SEPA on 01786 457700         

 

Once planting is underway, it is quite possible that irrigation of early planted potatoes will overlap with later planting. This compromises time for servicing and calibrating irrigation equipment. Although it seems like a long way off, it’s a good idea to consider servicing and calibrating before starting planting.

 

Focusing on water use and soil and water management helps ensure tuber quality and yield. Although irrigation may be necessary for bulking and to prevent common scab, avoid over-irrigating, thereby minimising soil erosion, nutrient leaching and diseases such as powdery scab and rots.

 

For more planting information and tips contact Chris on chris.steele@potato.ahdb.org.uk. 

For other seedbed preparation information view the article on Achieving good-quality seed-beds.