For the third year now, potato grower Henk Nobel has been using Argos as a potato sprout killer. Now he is very confident in the effect of the medicine. One of the reasons he chose this was because he always wants to be able to deliver immediately if his customer needs potatoes urgently. This is possible because Argos has no timeout.
With the elimination of IPC chlorine by the 2020 crop, there has been great uncertainty among potato growers about alternatives to the familiar microbial inhibitor. Also with gardener Henk Nobel. The farmer and contractor in Oudenhorn (ZH) cultivates about 120 hectares. Last year, he grew 38 hectares of potatoes on it, of which 33 hectares are Novator and 5 hectares are Silvana.
Nobel chose Innovator as the main breed. “It’s relatively easy to store and gives the highest price on French fries,” he explains. He adds that this variety is slightly more germinating. Nobel supplies its products for French fries. “This company is just around the corner,” he laughs.
No time for waiting
When it became clear that the IPC chlorine would disappear, Nobel consulted Jan-Willem Scherpenisse, his adviser to Van Yperen. Together they decided to use Argos Green Agent as a microbial inhibitor from now on. This orange oil-based remedy effectively burns sprouts. It does not leave marks and does not require post-treatment waiting time when sanding.
The latter was one of the reasons why Nobel chose Argos. Because it happens regularly that his customer Farm Frites calls him to see if he can deliver the potatoes soon. Sometimes this sudden demand is due to bad weather making it difficult to supply potatoes from other countries to the french fry factory, sometimes due to a sudden high demand for french fries. Since Argos has no waiting time, Nobel can deliver potatoes immediately if needed.
The manufacturer does not consider it a problem that the cell is often opened several times during the storage season. He does not notice that this has a devastating effect on the state of rest. ‘Usually we ship from December to March. Then the tubers don’t suffer as much from the cold.’
Good conservation starts on the field
Nobel and Scherpeniss unanimously emphasize that good preservation begins in the field, with a spray of Royal MH. If this is done at the right time, storage potatoes are easier to store without germs. The optimal spraying time is three to five weeks before the leaves die back on a viable and green crop. This requires special attention from Innovator, the most important strain Nobel grows, because it has less vigorous foliage. In hot and dry weather, it can die suddenly and quickly. Royal MH must be sprayed at least three weeks before.
Spraying worked well in 2022, Nobel notes. Together with Scherpenisse, he determines the moment of spraying. Shortly before spraying, he once again irrigated. Spraying ensures that the crop is better able to absorb the agent. When sprayed effectively with Royal MH, the action of a microbial inhibitor such as Argos will be more effective in storage.
Nobel digs potatoes himself with one of his three bunker backhoes. It stores crops in two cells, one of 1200 tons and one of 500 tons, both with above-ground channels.
Consultation with a consultant
After attrition, the grower first treated the potatoes once with another bacterial growth inhibitor that prolongs the dormancy period. Gasification is always taken care of by a Van Iperen employee, who is also a refrigeration shop manager and has extensive experience with gases. Scherpenisse: ‘We completely relieve the grower of the burden, we not only give advice, we also carry out microbial suppression for growers. Almost all of our customers let us take care of this.’
In December, Nobel met Argos for the first time, at the moment when hibernation was broken. In January, he had a second sweating. He is very pleased with the results of both procedures.
Nobel always determines the moment of fogging in consultation with Scherpenisse. “I rely on Van Iperen’s advice during delivery as well,” he says. ‘I trust advisors.’
The farmer does not use a fixed interval between treatments. “For each batch, we evaluate together with the grower whether we are going to spray or not,” says Scherpenisse.
Great alternative
Nobel is sometimes frightened by long sprouts on potatoes lying on top of the mass. But if he digs in the area for a minute, he will quickly see that there are almost no microbes left on other tubers.
