Potato Review

IN-FIELD sales@haith.co.uk +44 (0) 1302 831911 www.haith.co.uk Strategic Partner From single machines to complete turnkey solutions the potato industry trust Haith to handle it. WASHERS & DESTONERS POLISHERS TURNKEY SOLUTIONS INNOVATION COMBINED BOX TIPPLERS IN-TAKE OPTICAL SORTERS GRADERS Haith Half Page Advert-No Flash ART.indd 1 08/03/2022 14:09 NEWS FORMER AHDB HEAD OFFERS INSIGHTS AND HELP ON SPEARMINT OIL USE FORMER AHDB storage expert Adrian Cunnington, who now runs Potato Storage Insight, is to work with Juno (Plant Protection) Ltd, o ering support in the use and e ects of spearmint oil in store. He has agreed to work with Juno to support growers, store-keepers, agronomists and foggers in delivering optimum e cacy from the use of Biox-M. Adrian had been with Sutton Bridge for 37 years, and has led many major research projects in potato storage and store management. One of Adrian’s particular areas of expertise is in the field of air movement in potato stores. Seminars available post-showafter dates clash WITH Croptec, an annual agricultural show held at Peterborough Showground in the UK, falling on the same dates as BP2021 and the National Potato Industry Awards, many growers and suppliers were unable to make it to the event, which is usually another key date in their diaries. However, those who could not make it to the live show in November, are being o ered the chance to view its seminar sessions online. Topics covered include: Regenerative agriculture, crop nutrition, soil health and crop protection. Those wishing to listen can do so by visiting www.croptecshow.com/ seminars-on-demand-access/. Next year’s CropTec Show will again take place on November 23rd and 24th, but as BP and NPIA take place biannually, there will not be a clash of dates. In 2018 and 2019 Croptec had taken place on or around November 27th. Organisers of both BP and NPIA, both of which run concurrently in Harrogate with NPIA taking place on the evening of the first day of the show, expressed disappointment at the movement in Croptec’s dates for 2021, stating it is hoped the events can run on separate dates in 2023. Fertilisers pricehikedrives soil testingdemand NITROGEN fertiliser prices are driving up the need for soil testing, it has been claimed. Rory Geldard, Business Development Manager at NRM, said its Soil Mineral Nitrogen (SMN) service doubled at the start of the year compared with the same period last year, reflecting a greater need by farmers and advisors into crop performance to combat high fertiliser prices. “When nitrogen fertiliser prices began to soar in the autumn of 2021, it became clear just how necessary measuring SMN levels is,” said Rory. “Assessing how much nitrogen is left in the soil after the winter helps growers and agronomists decide how much additional nitrogen to apply to optimise their crop nutrition programmes. This protects them against volatile fertiliser prices.”