Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 15 HARVEST CLEANING Philip Wright I ndependent cop consultant Philip Wright told Potato Review it’s important to make the cleaning process practical when the pressure is on at harvesting. “For me it’s about having a procedure that becomes second nature,” he said. “Attention to detail is massively important. It’s hard when there’s too much to do and not enough time, but in the long-term, preventing the spread of black-grass at harvest will save tens, if not, hundreds of man and machinery hours.” Allowing time at the end of the day to blow-down the combine stops dew from sticking the dust and debris to the machinery overnight, making the job harder come the morning. Growers are advised to take o all the guards, start at the top and spend a good 10 minutes getting the majority of the debris o before going back to the top and taking the time to thoroughly blow-down. Philip emphasises the need to check all the nooks and crannies. “Dust can build up in all sorts of places. Some are obvious – on top mud guards and the body of the combine, for example. Others are less so – any tool boxes, chassis members, anywhere there’s a ledge or an edge.” ‘Scrimping on cleaning procedures can lead to black-grass spread’ Cleaning machinery at harvest can, understandably, fall by the wayside as pressure mounts. But failing to nd the time to blow-down the combine, bailer, trailer and other machinery can spread black-grass between elds and increase production costs for years to come. The choice of location for cleaning machinery is also important, says Philip. “Do it in the field that you’re working in and try to choose a spot that is confined. Wherever you choose, there’s a good chance it will become a problem area. Remember farm tracks are not ideal– seed from resulting plants can be picked up by other vehicles in subsequent years and brought into your fields.” With shallow cultivation work taking place soon after harvest, Philip points out how rollers, in particular can be a vector for spreading black-grass. “Some of these weed seeds are very light. Anything that disturbs the soil surface can make them airborne. If you’re working rst thing in the morning or late on into the evening when there’s moisture, you can nd seed settling on kit and ‘sticking’ to the steel. A lm of what looks to be dust soon builds up – that ‘dust’ can actually contain a lot of weed seeds.” “Soil-to-soil rollers are speci cally designed to pick up soil, though any roller will develop a coating around the peripheries. at soil often contains black-grass seed and if not cleaned, when the kit is parked up or worse when you’re using it another eld, it’ll drop o .” “You really shouldn’t be going to a new eld without power washing cultivation equipment, certainly not a new block, and de nitely not a new farm if you’re a contractor.” “You really shouldn’t be going to a new field without power washing cultivation equipment.”