In 2017, the season started with a cool spring, but not quite as cool or wet as this spring. That year, I observed abnormal stem elongation in June that affected Superiors and a processing variety. A colleague at North Carolina State University saw the same thing. It was clearly physiological, but the cause wasn’t obvious. We concluded that cool weather had this effect on a few varieties. The plants grew out of…
After a slow emergence, potatoes in the Leamington area are growing fast, and best of all, they look healthy and vigorous. The attached pictures are courtesy of Chris Rahm, general manager of Setterington’s Fertilizer Service in Cottam, Ont. In other Ontario areas, growers are struggling with the rainy weather and many of them expect to finish planting by June 10. According to the weather network, warm summer temperatures will arrive late this…
After the cold, rainy weather that prevailed through April and up to mid-May, spring seems to have arrived. Warmer weather has allowed growers to get planting as fields dry up. According to Mark VanOostrum, the processing crop is about 15 days behind: 60 per cent of the field-fry crop is in the ground, but only 20 per cent of the storage crop is planted. In general, planting for the fresh-market crop is also…
I was in the Alliston, Ont., area during yesterday’s sunny afternoon and was delighted to watch Homer Vander Zaag’s 10-row planter in action. It did a great job, and the Lamoka seed being planted looked very healthy. Fortunately, I will be able to keep an eye on this field all summer long because one of my research trials will be in the field. Homer’s 10-row planter is the only one in Ontario…
Cool, wet weather has delayed planting across the province. According to Mark VanOostrum, 3,000 acres of chipping potatoes are usually planted by May 1, but this year only about 1,000 acres are in the ground. In the Leamington area, the Dakota Pearls that were planted early at Bradley Farms are cracking the ground, and they look healthy. That is good news! The Envols planted near Chatham for the early fresh market will…
There are many factors affecting potato emergence and stand establishment. Having a checklist of factors causing poor potato emergence is a useful tool for growers. I was able to add a number of factors to that checklist thanks to contributions from experts in Ontario, Canada, and the United States. Those potato experts include Joe Lach, Kate VanderZaag, Mark VanOostrum, Robert Coffin, Walt Quilty, Paul Van den Borre and Hossein Bagheri from Ontario, and…
I have yet to meet a potato grower who is not familiar with the symptoms of the Fusarium dry rot that develops in storage. The skin of infected areas is wrinkled, and there is a dry, non-smelly rot in the affected flesh. However, Fusarium may also infect potato seed during transit or handling. Bruises or wounds allow Fusarium and also soft rot bacteria to get into tubers. I received a photo last…
The Potato Association of America is pleased to announce that the special issue of the American Journal of Potato Research (AJPR), Volume 96 Number 2 is now available online. The focus of this publication is “The Contribution of Potatoes to Human Nutrition.” It is the hope of the PAA that this special issue highlights the unique contribution of potato to the human diet, and concurrently expands AJPR readership and the journal’s stature…
In 2017, a very wet year, potato growers who used Orondis for late blight were very pleased with the performance of this fungicide.This year, potato growers can continue using Orondis for late blight during the season, as long as it has not been applied in-furrow at planting for pink rot control. What factors should be taken into consideration to decide on the application timing of Orondis? Orondis Potato Gold has been registered as…
Most of you probably know that Orondis Gold Potato fungicide, a co-pack containing Orondis and Ridomil (active ingredients oxathiapiprolin and metalaxyl-M), will be available this spring to suppress pink rot and Pythium leak. The registration is for in-furrow application, but pink rot usually develops at the end of the season. Will Orondis applied mid-May still be active in September? My colleagues across the border always do a good job evaluating fungicides before…