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Restrain company, leading provider of ethylene sprout inhibitor systems, will exhibit its products at the upcoming British Potato 2021 event in Harrogate next week, 24 – 25 November. Restrain uses natural ethylene gas which keeps potatoes dormant and controls sprouting.
Dirk Garos, Global Sales Director at Restrain says: “Using ethylene gas means growers won’t leave any residue in their crop or storage facility, allowing them to deliver potatoes which can be used immediately after storage for processing. Fry colours of processing potatoes can be preserved. It can also be used for seed potato storage. Restrain is also suitable for storages containing organic potatoes.”
According to Garos, ethylene is now a much more attractive option for sprout suppression for long-term storage now CIPC is off limits. “Restrain ethylene offers the same advantages as a sprout inhibitor as CIPC,” he says. “Our product can be used in all types of storages – growers do not need to make any adjustments to their storage facilities and it can be used in box or bulk storages. The treatment is cost-effective and no fogging equipment is needed – a Restrain generator is supplied.”
Restrain recently produced two videos based on the experiences of British potato producers who are using its its ethylene sprout inhibitor system.
Sam Tugwell, Assistant Farm Manager at RJ & AE Godfrey Dawesmere Farms in Holbeach says: “We find Restrain’s very easy to use on farm. You set the machine up at the beginning of the season, as per the recommendations of Restrain’s own advisors. All you have to do after that is add fuel when required and monitor the stores as you usually would. We’ve found that the stores have seen no sprout growth in any way, shape or form, and we’re very happy with the product.”
Tugwell goes on to say: “We’ve found the Restrain staff to be very supportive. They’ve visited us periodically throughout the storage season, and any issues we have had with any of the equipment was resolved immediately. This gives us the confidence to use the product in the future.”
“To anyone who’s currently storing potatoes, I would highly recommend the Restrain system because it’s simple to use and very effective,” Tugwell concludes.
Watch the full video below, or on YouTube here.
Oliver Bright, from JR, EM & AR Bright Montford Farm in Shrewsbury is managing a 2.5 thousand ton potato store. He says that two years ago the CIPC ban sort of pushed the farming operation into thinking of alternatives. “Through the help of McCain and Jeff Beever, we decided that Restrain would be our best option to go down the route of ethylene.”
Bright says the benefits of using Restrain are the effectiveness of the product, the ease of use, and the costs are relatively low. As for their store management, they also have external management, mostly on iPads and phones, although they visit the store regularly in person twice a week as well.
“We really find it really important to come to the store to check things over, just to make sure that everything is running smoothly and that the ethylene is doing the right job, as well as monitoring the amount of ethylene that is being used by the machine. Now we’re in May, so it’s looking really excellent. And the sprouts are really brittle, but their sprouting is minimal. It is fantastic. The dehydration is very low. The frying is fantastic.”
