Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2022 31 SPROUT SUPPRESSION T HE lengthy residual sprout control achieved with maleic hydrazide has a key role in reducing already astronomical potato storage costs, meaning that growers must make every effort to maximise uptake of the product this summer, paying particular attention to application timing and crop and environmental conditions. The cost of storage for British potato producers is becoming a big worry, with the price of energy to run stores rocketing this year. This exacerbates the recent hike in storage costs in the wake of the chlorpropham (CIPC) withdrawal, which left a significant hole in the in-store sprout control armoury. Contact products spearmint oil and orange oil are two of the three remaining options, which both have a short-lived effect of burning back sprout growth, so need to be applied regularly to maintain control. Maleic hydrazide helps cut spiralling storage costs Starting sprout suppression in the field with an application of maleic hydrazide has the potential to control costs by reducing use of expensive in-store treatments, as Potato Review finds out. There are reports that some stores required up to six applications of contact products in 2022, costing about £18 to £27/t depending on product used. With CIPC, control would be achieved with 4-5 applications costing just £4-£5/t. Ethylene gas, another alternative, is released into stores to suppress sprout growth and users report good results but is not deemed suitable for all markets owing to its impact on fry colour (see our separate feature on page 38 for details of work to minimise discolouration) and works out slightly more expensive than previous CIPC programmes. Independent storage expert Adrian Cunnington says this makes the case for applying maleic hydrazide – in products like Crown MH and Fazor – more compelling than ever as store managers adjust to life post-CIPC. “We relied on CIPC for residual control over many years and the only product to provide that now is MH. If DMN comes in, that may provide some longer lasting activity, but it’s not available at present so we must make the best of what we have,” he said. “We relied on CIPC for residual control over many years and the only product to provide that now is MH. If DMN comes in, that may provide some longer lasting activity.” Adrian Cunningham, Independent Storage Expert ➜