Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com FERTILISATION WITHMOBILITY COMES PERFORMANCE Optimal calcium mobility for stronger, higher yielding crops. InCa™ Plus is an advanced foliar spray which increases the marketable yield in brassicas, leafy greens, root vegetables and potatoes. It uses patented CaT™ technology to increase calcium mobility by stimulating selective ion transport channels in membranes. It increases calcium concentration in cells and enables calcium to move within the plant through the symplastic pathway even when low transpiration limits calcium movement. Inca Plus improves crop resilience and quality, raising yields and extending shelf life. In over 200 trials on potatoes globally, Inca Plusdelivered an average 1.5 t/ha increase in marketable yields. The increases were even greater in low yielding varieties, mid to late crops, and situations where irrigation was a limiting factor. InCa Plus is compatible with most crop inputs although jar tests are recommended to confirm compatibility. Regular application at low rates increases calcium mobility, marketable yield and shelf life. 10 8 6 4 2 0 Increase in marketable yield with Inca Plus (t/ha) Marketable yield in the untreated plots 50 - 60 t/ha >60 t/ha <50 t/ha InCa Plus improves marketable yield for potatoes Non-irrigated Irrigated Source: Arvalis, 2016. To find out more about the science behind InCa™ Plus, visit www.croptechnologies.co.uk and that has not been used by, or made available to, the crop. ere is positive news. e proportion of rivers exceeding 0.1 mg/l of phosphorus has declined in all regions between 2000 and 2009. However, 75% of lakes and 54% of rivers are still failing phosphorus standards. e ‘phosphate run-o ’ isn’t just wasteful in monetary terms, but extremely damaging in environmental terms. e excess phosphate in our waterways is delivered to aquatic plants in the perfect format for them to utilise it, causing ‘algal blooms’. e excessive aquatic plant growth ‘chokes’ the oxygen from the water body, killing sh and other microorganisms. e bloom will typically last several weeks, after which the algae die. As it decomposes, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG) that is 80 times more harmful that carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. Some of the world’s best-known lakes have been a ected, Lake Erie in North America, Lake Victoria in Africa and Lake Baikal in Russia. e cost of phosphate run-o in our waterways isn’t just environmental. e pounds shillings and pence cost to the agricultural industry for the estimated 60,000 tonnes of phosphate (P2O5) that is lost each year is equivalent to £90.6 million of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP). Where do we go from here? As phosphorus cannot be manufactured or destroyed and there is no substitute or synthetic option available, the existing deposits that are currently cost-e ective to extract are being depleted. While there are some new deposits being found, the quality and the cost of extraction will do nothing to reduce future raw material costs. e lifespan of the current mines can be extended through more e ective and e cient use of phosphate. Current stocks can be used more e ciently by reducing the overall amount applied through targeted applications and, in turn, reducing the amount that is lost from the soil in runo . Reducing applied phosphate while maintaining crop tonnages can be achieved using targeted applications. First, establish how much there is currently in the soil and if it is in a crop- accessible format. When this information is combined with crop growth demand, the de cit is what needs to be applied. Broadcasting fertiliser is a shotgun application, spreading it far and wide in the hope some will reach its target. Phosphate placed close to the seed at planting ensures it’s within easy reach of newly formed roots to aid establishment from the start. e use of foliar application removes the scatter or shot gun approach to phosphate/nutrient applications, delivering a predetermined dose directly to the crop leaves, making it available for use straight away. is considerably reduces the amount of waste and therefore runo , bene tting the UK rivers as well as growers’ bottom line. e targeted approach to phosphate applications relies heavily on the accuracy of the soil tests and data they provide along with the frequency of testing, providing yet another set of historic industry standards that need to be re-evaluated considering new learning. One of the worst management practices is to ‘continue to do what we have always done’ and to this end, it’s time to review the recommendations that drive the use of phosphate in UK agriculture, the amount of phosphate and its method of application. Afterall nothing changes if nothing changes and, as far as phosphate is concerned, ‘business as usual’ is not a long-term option.