Potato Review

Advertorial Potato growers are heading into a future with greater exposure to seed and soil-borne diseases, warns Syngenta Technical Manager, Michael Tait. Challenging climatic conditions, typified by cold, wet soils at the time of planting, demands greater protection of tubers from both seed and soil borne disease inoculum. The forthcoming withdrawal of options to treat tubers with powders at planting, coupled with increasingly dif cult planting campaigns leading to slow emergence, has conspired to increase risk of several key skin diseases, including rhizoctonia stem canker (black scurf), silver scurf, black dot and common scab. Precision application of Maxim liquid seed treatment pre-planting can better help to assure complete coverage and protection of the tuber, compared to previous powders applied on the planter. Pre-planting treatment in store is also controlled and convenient. It saves another task for planter operators and removes any risk associated with dusty powder applicators. Whilst growers have historically ordered seed pre-treated with Maxim from suppliers or used a specialist on-farm application contractor – which remains a primary route – on larger farms investment involved with setting up an on-farm treatment line can be easily justi ed. It gives convenience and exibility to treat individual seed lots to speci c eld risks. Research by agronomists has also shown Maxim can help to quickly build bigger and stronger root systems, which can support higher numbers of tubers with more even size and maturity at harvest. Extensive trials by Frontier Agriculture have shown it can consistently enable more eyes to open and stimulate extra rooting. More viable eyes typically mean crops are faster to reach 100% emergence and higher stem numbers per hectare, that is key to increasing overall yields. Trials work carried out by SRUC Craibstone, has shown the seed treatment had bene cial all-round bene ts on skin diseases, including black dot, silver scurf, skin spot and Fusarium, along with rhizoctonia. However, where Maxim treated seed tubers are to be planted into elds with a known history of soil-borne rhizoctonia, or black dot, the use of an in-furrow Amistar application is also advised. Where soil-borne pathogens are an issue, the use of Amistar has been seen to be hugely bene cial for tuber numbers and consistency of size and maturity right through the growing season to harvest, as well as black dot control for improved skin nish and storability. The in-furrow application is particularly effective in creating a zone of protection around the seed through early development and tuber initiation. Protecting the plant from rhizoctonia stem pruning and secondary tuber initiation is crucial to achieving consistent quality potatoes, for both the fresh and processing markets. Soil-borne pathogens are now endemic in soils regularly cropped with potatoes. With the availability of clean land increasingly scarce and expensive, growers now have the opportunity to mitigate against both seed and soil-borne pathogens, to protect resources and ensure economically sustainable rotations into the future. Syngenta UK Ltd. Registered in England No. 849037. CPC4, Capital Park, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5XE Tel: 01223 883400 Fax: 01223 882195 Technical Enquiries Tel: 0800 169 6058 Email: customer.services@syngenta.com Website: www.syngenta.co.uk AMISTAR® and MAXIM® are Registered Trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. AMISTAR (MAPP 18039) contains azoxystrobin. MAXIM (MAPP 15683) contains fludioxonil. All other brand names used are Trademarks of other manufacturers in which proprietary rights may exist. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. For further product information including warning phrases and symbols refer to www.syngenta.co.uk ©Syngenta AG October 2020. Double coverage for seed and soil borne potato pathogens Growers and agronomists should now be using a combination of Maxim seed treatment and in-furrow Amistar treatments, to counter the combined threats of seed and soil-borne pathogens