Speaking at BP2021, Eric Anderson, of Scottish Agronomy, warned growers in the Scottish seed potato sector about the challenges presented in 2021 – emphasising that minimising the handling and damage of the seed in grading pre-treatment is always important. Ken Fletcher reports for The Scottish Farmer.
Warm, dry soils and a temperate autumn could cause early dormancy break, with the stored tubers opening their eyes more rapidly than normal, Anderson pointed out. This will impact on any seed treatments which need to be applied while tubers are dormant and he reminded ware and seed growers about timing differences between liquid and powder treatments.
Moving on to discuss life in the post-AHDB world, he pleaded for the seed and ware industry to collaborate and add value for growers, avoiding duplication.