Potato Review

6 POTATO REVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2019 NEWS EXTEND YOUR GRIMME WARRAN NEW for 2020 , TWO YEARS WARRANTY is standard on all new GRIMME machines – leaving you free to focus on your business without worrying about the cost of an unexpected breakdown. GRIMME UK Ltd. Find out more about GRIMME PROTECT talk to your local GRIMME Partner today. NEW FOR 2020 Open day demonstrates grower’s alternative income stream New way to tackle late blight A new 3992kW Heat/Chill system for potato washing and chilling was demonstrated during an open day at Duncote Farm near Telford recently. More than 80 people came to the farm to see the technology in operation. The open day provided a chance to see the new system linked to a ground source heat pump at Barratts Field, Walcot near Telford. As well as providing the power to wash and chill the potato harvest, the system offers an additional income stream – a significant one for the farm - through the payment of the Renewable Heat Incentive for renewable heat generated by heat pumps – from the Government. The system the visitors saw has a four- A co-formulated fungicide for the prevention of late blight in UK and Irish potato crops will be available for farmers to use during the 2020 growing season. Zorvec Endavia is a liquid combining oxathiapiprolin with benthiavalicarb developed by Corteva. The co-formulation tackles late blight present in the plant while moving in the plant to protect new growth. Category Manager for potatoes at Corteva, Alister McRobbie, said: “The strengths of the active ingredient create a protectant and curative product with demonstrable movement into new growth. Trials of the co-formulated product have demonstrated fantastic performance in the control of late blight,.” Being co-formulated with benthiavalicarb enables users to use the fungicide at the rapid growth phase of the programme. “The inclusion of a second active ingredient provides important protection against the risk from development of resistance strains of late blight,” said Alister. Farmers can apply the fungicide at 0.4l/ ha up to four times during a season but are limited to three sprays in a block. year payback timescale while the RHI is paid for 20 years on current rules. JRO Griffiths processes 36,000 tonnes of potatoes each year and this pump set-up provides warm water for the farm’s potato washer, warm the grading shed and washdown, as well as Heat Chill Box the drying floor. It also services the farm’s grain dryer. It’s estimated that the installation will provide £9.7 million of projected income and savings over the 20-year payment period of the RHI tariff. The system was provided by Calibrate which specialises in harnessing natural energy resources surrounding a building. Calibrate