On Thursday, August 15, the new Grimme Field Loader arrived from Germany, and HJV Equipment in Alliston has brought the first one to North America! Depending on harvest conditions, a single trailer of potatoes can contain up to 20% soil and/or trash. This can amount to as much as 1,000 tons per 100 ha, according to studies by Grimme. The new Field Loader is designed to reduce this trash content saving both…
According to Mark VanOostrum, the harvest of the early processing crop is going well. The yield is average, solids are slightly higher and a little bit of common scab is showing up. I am not surprised to hear about scab this season; common scab is more aggressive in dry years. It appears that the beneficial bacteria, which compete with scab, suffer more than scab when it is dry. This results in more…
The harvest of the early processing crop started this week. According to sources at WD Potato Ltd., the quality is good. Two to three inches of rain stopped digging of the early crop in the Simcoe-Delhi, Ont., area, but the rain was a blessing. The tubers are at the bulking stage. The Alliston and Shelburne areas continue to be dry. Irrigation is the order of the day. Although the weather has not been favorable…
Things looked very different across the province from July 22 to 26 depending on the area. Digging of the fresh-market crop has started near Leamington, Ont. Quality and size look good. Growers are digging the earliest planted fields in the Simcoe-Delhi region, but the area is dry. “Harvest has started for us and the crop looks good. We need some rain because harvesting and irrigating are not a great combination,” said Joe Lach,…
Spores of late blight were detected in Ontario in Dufferin, Simcoe and Norfolk counties. The filters were in the spore traps from July 18 to 22. Late blight has not been reported in Ontario, but it was found in a potato field in Wisconsin and identified as US 23, a strain that is very aggressive on tomatoes and potato tubers. US 23 is susceptible to Ridomil (metalaxyl-M). New potatoes of the variety…
High numbers of late blight spores were found in the filters of the two spore traps placed near Delhi, Ont. This area has received enough rain recently to create favourable conditions for disease development. Keep the crop protected, especially new growth. It’s the best way to reduce the risk of outbreaks. Some early planted fields are being topkilled in Norfolk County. Tank mixing Reglone with Copper Hydroxide (e.g. Parasol) should ensure that spores…
The potato crop in southwestern Ontario has benefited enormously from the 1 to 1.5 inches of rain that fell on July 17. However Alliston, Shelburne and Eastern Ontario continue to be dry. Potatoes are showing signs of stress in the non-irrigated fields, especially leaf burn. According to Ontario Potato Distributing, the first new potatoes from Leamington will arrive at the Alliston packing plant on July 22. Joe Lach reported that a few…
In the Wisconsin Potato Newsletter, Amanda Gevens wrote: “Late blight on potato has been confirmed in Wood County this afternoon. We have a sample on campus in UW- Madison Vegetable Pathology and my technician will type this first thing in the morning so that we have an understanding of the clonal lineage (strain), and likely character and mefenoxam (metalaxy-Ml) resistance status. Sporulation was present but light on most leaves. Lesions were quarter sized…
As heat and drought continue across the province, irrigation has been the order of the day. Many fields are in the tuber setting stage, a stage that requires adequate soil moisture for an optimum tuber set. Fields with closed rows and vigorous canopies keep the soil cool, which reduces stress. Potatoes suffer when soils get hot in direct sun. Many fields still have open canopies, the result of late planting. Unfortunately, a…
The harvest of early potatoes for the fresh market should start by July 18 in Southwestern Ontario. So far, dig tests have shown excellent quality. One of the highlights of summer is to enjoy new potatoes in all their glory! Excellent quality is also expected in the Simcoe area. “The area continues to have timely rains in the right amount. With perfect temperatures, plants look healthy and strong with no indication of stress,”…