Wage goer Daan Biesheuvel of cold store Numansdorp and Gerben van Dueren den Hollander van Van Iperen are going to the farmer this week to advise potato growers on the adjustment of their storage barns for the gases with 1,4Sight, Argos or Biox-M. They give practical tips and exchange experiences with the growers. Akker ran a day with the two experts in the Zuidplaspolder.
It starts with a storage area that is leak-proof, so no gas can escape. In many barns, especially those that are already a bit of an age, there are cracks in, for example, the doors and ventilation shutters. This is not always easy, is the experience of Van Dueren den Hollander. “Sometimes, during the gas, you only find out that gas escapes somewhere. Then you need to close the leak as quickly as possible if you want to gas with 1,4Sight.” They also advise to make the space in which the gas is blown as small as possible: make sure that there is as little empty space as possible. Not only does it cost a lot of money if this space also has to fill up with gas, but it also affects the effectiveness of the germ inhibitor.
The two experts see that many growers are not yet working on their new storage strategy. That is a pity, according to Van Dueren den Hollander. “You have to get this right, otherwise it will take a lot of time later. Anyone who pays attention to this now will have your storage space ready for the gases in time. That attention pays off.”
