Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW JANUARY 2022 21 SOIL PREPARATION Based in Herefordshire, Andrew has been working for Hutchinsons for 16 years and looks after nearly 8,000 ha of farmland, ranging from Cirencester, to the Welsh borders, south Shropshire and Worcester. Andrew Goodinson, Agronomist and Potato Specialist at Hutchinsons. K EY actions anddecisions growers take ahead of planting can impact onquality and saleable yield. Yield alone is no longer the driver of economic success, Andrewstressed, noting that as quality criteria are paramount, growers need to seek a balance betweenquality yield and inputs per tonne. Soil characteristics such as texture, stone content and eld distance from the store all underpin soil health and e ciency when choosing which elds to cultivate and he urges growers to ensure they get the basics right, paying attention to detail on soil cultivationmanagement andwater use. “As the investment you are making by planting potatoes is huge, if the eld is not right – for example there have been tight potato rotations and soils are tightly compacted - it may be better to say no.” e more you know about your soil, the better, and Andrew points out that this is where In the rst of a series of articles, we speak to AndrewGoodinson, Agronomist and Potato Specialist at Hutchinsons, who shares his insights about how tomake themost of the ground you’ve got. Know your soil new technology is a real help. For example, the mySoil app (from the British Geological Survey) and the ADAS soil app can give you some useful information about soil in the local area. “But we all know that you can’t sort a eld out in one year. It takes many years of work to improve it, so revisiting the previous crops on the land can give good pointers.” Andrew points out that knowing what has gone before is easy when growing on your own land but because of land pressures, many growers have to rely on rented land – in which case it is well worth developing a good relationship with the landlord who can help provide key information about the ground. “For example, I pay particular attention if there has been maize or sugar beet in the rotation, because of the damage they may have done to the soil, it may need remedial action,” he said. “If there has been a grass ley, you may well have an increased risk of wireworm, and if potato crops in the rotation have been tight, there may be PCN.” Knowing where soils are heavier and wetter, can help make decisions on where to plant rst and where to leave until later, he adds, noting that while this may be a given for those who have been farming the same land for years, it can be more of a challenge when renting new land. Soil nutrient availability Testing for organic matter and nutrient availability is a key factor for a successful yield, emphasises Andrew. For more in-depth information, he nds web-based systems such as SOYL and Omnia to be extremely useful. “ is puts you in a better place to match the crop’s nutrition requirement and also to take preventive action against PCN if necessary.” ➜ “If the field is not right – for example there have been tight potato rotations and soils are tightly compacted - it may be better to say no.” Knowing where soils are heavier and wetter, can help make decisions on where to plant first and where to leave until later.