Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW MARCH/APRIL 2021 19 NEMATODE CONTROL Safe use of nematicides on-farm With nematicides a key part of controlling PCN, Tony explained how they have integrated the safe use of granular nematicides into the farm business. “We are very keen on training, many in our business are PA1 quali ed and our operators have a PA4 quali cation as well,” he said. “We also use the expertise in our wider team to make decisions and determine farm practices. “We have two external BASIS quali ed agronomists, plus BASIS quali ed people in the business, and our operators are fully trained and registered as NRoSO members. is means we have plenty of people who can contribute to making sure we are always following best practice when using any chemicals, including nematicides.” Calibration Calibration of machinery to ensure a correct and steady ow rate is imperative. Tony explained that each year, the application equipment is assessed and calibrated by an external, independent assessor. “ is is part of Red Tractor requirements, and it’s bene cial because they’re able to look for more subtle issues and maintenance than we would do with our farm team,” said Tony. In addition, the operator calibrates the applicator every two to three days during use, to ensure the correct rate of application. “To an extent, they are calibrating constantly, by using GPS technology they know exactly the area covered, and they know the volume used each time they ll up, which together tells us the rate of application and would ag if something wasn’t right.” Safe application Tony said they are set up to apply nematicides from the front of the planting tractor, which minimises the number of times machinery passes over the eld. “ e applicator has a slowly rotating rotor to incorporate the granules into the upper 120-150ml of soil. is means the nematicide is just in the soil bed around the potatoes, close to where it’s needed, meaning we get maximum bene t from the product. “GPS technology is also used to shut o the granule ow before the tractor reaches the end of the row. is ensures granules are fully incorporated by the row end, so there’s none on the headland,” adds Tony. “We also check elds for any non- incorporation and again between 12 and 24 hours after application, looking for adverse e ects to wildlife, which is part of the Red Tractor standards.” B&C Farming Ltd • Farm 2,000 hectares in total • 140 hectares for ware potato production and 180 hectares for seed potato production ‘Assess alternatives now emergency authorisations rejected’ Careful approach Tony explained the importance of having a trained team who can be trusted to work together and consult each other when needed. “ ankfully we’ve never had any spillages, but if a spillage did occur, we would be sure to involve one of our agronomists to ensure we respond e ectively. A small spillage would be carefully buried, but for larger spillages the operator would wear full PPE, return the granules to the product container and speak to our chemical distributor to arrange safe disposal.” Having safe storage protocols in place, and ensuring the team are aware of this and adhere to it is imperative, he said. “All our chemicals, including granular nematicides, are in a locked chemical store inside a locked building. We also complete monthly stock checks for these. We take the safe storage and application of nematicides seriously because they are an essential tool for our farm business,” said Tony. “As all potato growers are aware, there are several ‘must haves’ for success, such as the need for loamy or sandy/loamy soil, access to irrigation for nearly all parts of the country, proximity to potato stores and investment in machinery and management. “Together, these factors limit the number of farms where potatoes can be grown. If we factor in the pressure to grow the best varieties for processing, rather than the PCN resistant varieties, this highlights how crucial nematicides are for potato production in the UK.” Sophie Bambridge Paul Cawood WITH the recent decision not to re-authorise Vydate for sale, distribution and use in the UK beyond December 31st 2020 meaning growers of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic and shallots can no longer use it, manufacturer Corteva Agriscience has advised that all full, part-full and empty Vydate 10G Ecolite containers should be returned to suppliers by April 15th, to allow su cient time to meet the April 30th deadline for removal of Vydate 10G from the market. Vydate has been the industry standard for PCN control in short-season potato crops and its loss will a ect around 20% of the GB potato area, according to Scottish Agronomy’s Eric Anderson. Growers will need to assess alternatives swiftly and he advised weighing up product performance, the capital cost of application equipment and use period, together with the practicality of application. “In elevated PCN situations, Nemathorin 10G applied overall will give the most consistent result and can be applied through the granular application equipment growers already have.” But he said growersmust note the restriction that Nemathorin-treated potato cropsmust be grown for aminimumof 17 weeks before being desiccated or lifted green top. He said those considering a switch to Velum Prime would be well advised to go for in-furrow application at planting to expedite application through existing equipment. Eric nds this con guration preferable to either an application systemmounted to the same tractor as the tilling machine, or a conventional boom sprayer applying in advance of the bed tiller. Another option is NEMguard PCN, a granular biocontrol formulated from garlic extract marketed in the UK by Certis Europe. e company’s Neil Beadle said: “Nemguard can help reduce nematode damage in potato crops and can be applied using the same rotors/cassettes currently in place for Vydate application. e operator simply recalibrates to deliver the correct dose. “It also has no harvest interval, so ts short duration crops well.” NSP e Nematicide Stewardship Programme (NSP) promotes the correct use of granular nematicides. e NSP best practice steps are part of the Red Tractor standards for potato growers.