Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2022 39 SIGN POST BIOSTIMULANTS / FERTILISERS TRIALS at field scale have proven improvements in both potato output and marketable yield from treatments with ICL’s PolysulphateTM and PotashpluSTM, which bear out findings from previous years about crop benefits, Company Agronomist Scott Garnett has claimed. In North Yorkshire, a crop of the variety Brooke was grown on a sandy loam soil. The split field trial sought to assess the potential for Polysulphate or PotashpluS to replace GMOP. Three rates of Polysulphate were applied – 100, 200 and 300kg/ha. PotashpluS was applied at 895kg/ha. These treatments were compared with a control of granular muriate of potash applied at 550kg/ha. Polysulphate was applied just before planting, while potash products were applied a month earlier. These treatments applied nutrients as follows: The trials were harvested using five 2m replicated digs from each treatment. Total yield was recorded along with four graded outputs. All treatments increased total and marketable yield compared to the control. However, Scott said the best result was achieved from Polysulphate applied at 100kg/ha. The second trial in North Lincolnshire used the variety Maris Piper, again grown on a sandy loam with a soil analysis of potassium – index 2; magnesium – index 5; phosphate – index 2 and pH 7.1. This split field trial explored the effect of sulphur on potato production using Polysulphate as the sole source of S. An application of 200kg/ha of Polysulphate was added to the standard farm practice. Giving total nutrients as follows: In this trial Polyphosphate boostedmarketable yield by 18% compared to the control. “These results confirm results gained in previous years and highlight the economic benefit to be gained from applying Polysulphate and the importance of sulphur to the potato crop,” said Scott. Polysulphate boosts marketable yield by 18% in potato trial