Roughly 35% of the 2024 maincrop potato space has now been planted out, in response to Wilson’s Nation agronomist, Stuart Meredith.
“This determine takes account of growers throughout the island of Eire,” he informed Agriland.
Co. Armagh-based Wilson’s Nation is supplying potatoes to retail and catering clients all through Eire. The enterprise has a grower base, which meets this requirement.
“It has been a really gradual begin to the maincrop planting season. The continual rain of the previous six months has meant that it’s only now that floor circumstances are coming into form,” the agronomist continued.
“Nevertheless, the climate is ready honest for the subsequent few days, which is able to permit growers to get on with a lot wanted area work.”
Potato seed
Seed availability is one other problem that has been confronting potato growers over current weeks.
“This can be a reflection of the very poor crops that had been harvested final yr. As well as, growers are at present planting seed that has been graded on the premise of a better dimension specification,” Meredith continued.
“So, as an alternative of utilizing seed within the vary 35mm to 55mm, growers are planting tubers which can be 60mm in dimension. One direct influence of this shall be the truth that seed shares could not go so far as would usually be the case.
“It’s a basic truth – bigger seed sizes don’t journey so far as smaller tubers. So we could nicely see some growers not having sufficient seed to cowl all the bottom that they had initially earmarked for potatoes this yr,” he added.
Varieties
In the meantime, the push to introduce new potato varieties continues apace.
“For essentially the most half, the main focus will stay on the nicely established varietal combine,” Meredith defined.
“However in our personal case, we’re quite a few new choices. A living proof is Efera. It may be used for each the packing commerce and as a processing selection.”
Wanting forward, the agronomist is conscious of the issues posed by the arrival of recent blight strains in Eire and the problem they may create for the vary of fungicides at present obtainable to growers.
“Growers have entry to very efficient blight chemistries,” he confirmed.
“However timing of software shall be critically necessary in 2024. In sensible phrases, this may imply spraying crops at seven-day intervals all through the rising season.
“This shall be notably necessary over the approaching weeks as crops undergo their development phases in a short time. Gentle tissue development inside an increasing cover shall be very liable to blight assault,” he concluded.
