Potatoes

The Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) has approved the use of Funguran Progress to control late blight in organic potato crops.

The UK planted area for potatoes has held up despite a turbulent season for growers, according to the AHDB.

Resistance strains to the highly popular blight fungicide fluazinam developed in the UK population probably because of over use of a single active. Looking at The Pesticide Usage Survey, going back several years, the usage of fluazinam has been as high as 384,000 hectares in 2010.

Rain showers and warming temperatures have heightened the threat of potato blight with Hutton Criteria disease warnings declared across many of the UK’s key growing regions.

Hutton periods are now being recorded in England and the focus needs to shift to blight control in potatoes.

AHDB has released plans for an extended consumer marketing campaign, and a portal to help put the growers and wholesale buyers of potatoes in touch.

Syngenta BlightCast is now live and running for the 2020 season, to give potato growers and agronomists a clear picture of impending blight pressure and risks – in time to make active application decisions.

British farmers have persevered in the face of adversity to compete 89 per cent of the potato harvest during the wettest year so far since 2012.

A ban on feeding maleic hydrazide-treated potato waste to livestock has now been lifted, leaving growers free to use the active ingredient without fear of losing their end markets.

Scotts Precision Manufacturing is reporting a record year, with sales of its Evolution separator and Trinity range of haulm toppers up by over 30%.

Potato store managers will be able to call on information and support from an £800,000 fund ring-fenced for sprout suppression and storage advice as the uncertainty around the future of