Potato Review

10 POTATO REVIEW MARCH/APRIL 2021 BIOSTIMULANTS getting as much as £1,000/tonne, it makes quick establishment of crops even more crucial. “ is is why we decided to look at how a speci c biostimulant could help bring establishment forward.” A trial was conducted in Cornwall on a crop of Galante salad potatoes in a medium clay/ loam soil type. On the treatment acreage, 8 L/ha of Fertiactyl Starter was applied by a conventional sprayer, split into 4L at 80% emergence and 4L at 100%, while the control group received only the farm standard nutrition programme. “We found that in the treatment group, tuber numbers were increased by 25% compared to the control, which led to an increase in yield of 20% by weight. We also saw that the tuber size was more even in the treated area, leading to a better grade-out. “ e farmer even commented that the e ect was obvious on the harvester. ere were noticeably more potatoes on the web and the sizes were more even,” David added. “All of this activity comes from humates that are activated in a patented process to be more rapidly e ective within the soil and puri ed seaweed extracts to act on the plants’ physiology and nutrient uptake ability. “ e combined action reduces the e ect of environmental stress on the plants, limiting growth stoppages so lowering tuber reabsorption and optimising growth.” Maincrop potatoes “In maincrop potatoes getting a uniform crop of marketable sized tubers is the ultimate goal,” said David. “ erefore, in partnership with our Cheshire grower and distributor, we conducted an on-farm trial to see if a crisping variety would bene t from a biostimulant at planting. “In this trial, carried out on clay loam soils with Taurus crisping variety maincrop potatoes, Fertiactyl starter was applied at emergence with a split 4L dose. e control area again just had the standard farm nutritional programme. “It was found that in the treatment area there was an improvement in marketable yield in the 45mm+ speci cation range, by up to 24%, which represents a 10t/ha yield increase.” David said that to further develop this trial and make the process simpler, they also looked at mixing the biostimulant with liquid fertiliser at planting and establishment. “ e biostiumlant which contains selected humic and fulvic organic acids and anti-stress compounds, was mixed with liquid with NP starter fertiliser to test the action pre-emergence. “We found that marketable yield was improved, with a 29% increase in tuber numbers compared to the control group. is tuber rise equated to a 4% increase in tonnage per ha. “ ese e ects can be explained by the biostimulant’s ability to help the plant better deal with stress, resulting in reduced growth stoppages due to stress, and also an increase in the plants’ ability to source and utilise nutrients,” he said. “It’s clear the advantages of biostimulants will be more signi cant in some years than others based on the conditions. However, they need to be thought of as an insurance policy as weather events become more extreme and market demands more prescribed. “ e variations on soil, moisture supply, temperature and weather patterns faced by the modern farmer are major challenges to reaching the end goal of getting the crop to reach its full genetic potential.”