b'ADVICE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTSWhether You Want To or Not, Lets Talk Emissions BILL ORRCanada Technical Representative1, 4 Group14group.comAGRICULTURE ACCOUNTS FORduring storage requires a multi-pronged(1,4SIGHT and 1,4SEED). Rather than about 12 per cent of all greenhouse gasapproach.simply controlling sprouting, these emissions in Canada. As an industry, weFirst, look at storage buildingstrigger enzymes in tubers that help with can either wait for emissions reductionthemselves. A drafty, outdated buildingwater loss and maintain tuber turgidity, policy to be mandated, or we canwith inefficient temperature control andsupporting field-fresh quality. Tubers that proactively tackle it. air movement equipment is expensive andretain water require less added storage Crop production generates greenhousea source of unnecessary emissions.humidity and therefore less electricity. gas emissions (mostly carbon dioxide,Next, consider storage management.Customers also report piles treated with methane and nitrous oxide) in multipleAny practices that work against rathera 1,4-DMN product appear calmer, ways, the biggest sources being fertilizerthan with naturewhether thats notrespiring less and releasing less C0 . 2manufacturing and use, and fuel burningusing natural cooling on cool days orStorage management products need by machinery. Emissions dont stop whenmanaging dormancy reactively rather thanto be fogged. Unfortunately, traditional crops come out of the ground though. proactivelyincrease energy requiredpropane or diesel foggers produce Whereas potatoes carbon footprintand emissions produced.significant off-gas. Ask your custom during the growing season is both badFinally, and most critically, take a hardapplicator for a better option: the E-Fresh and good, their footprint is only negativelook at the products used in-storage andfresh air applicator, which relies on in storage. In addition to requiring energyhow they are applied.electricity and produces clean heat.to control the climate and achieve airMost producers still rely exclusivelyIn the coming years, theyll be movement inside the storage, potatoeson CIPC to control sprouting. From anincreasing pressure to decrease emissions. release C0as they respire.emissions standpoint, a much betterFor the good of the environment and 2Lowering potatoes carbon footprintoption is a 1,4-DMN-based productmarketplace, lets start now.This Soil Fumigation Trick Could Make you MoneyCHAD HUTCHINSONGlobal director of potato research and market supportTriCal Grouptricalgroup.comEACH YEAR, worries: would fumigating damage thepopulation rates as prior to application.scab steals a costly percentage of the potatoes produced atsoil? Would it unbalance the microbiomeGiven that only a small fraction of the soil Patates Dolbec. Philippe Parent, Patatesor even help pathogens prosper?is actually treated, Im very comfortable Dolbecs director of quality assuranceLast year, we worked with a researcherwith this products impacts to soil health, and agronomy, coordinated an on-farmto test the impacts of chloropicrinespecially if you plow at the end of the soil fumigation trial last year to see howapplied before planting a susceptibleseason to mix treated and untreated soil chloropicrin (sold as Strike for potatoes)variety, measuring fungal and bacterialtogether and add other good management might impact his soils health andpopulations from before fumigationpractices like rotation. productivity. Im a huge fan of real-life,through harvest. I dont use pesticides for fun. They have on-farm trials, so I was excited to hear theI was pleased with chloropicrins strongto be both useful and safe. When other findings. Heres a snapshot of his findings: management of scab. As importantly,growers call me asking for advice, I send Scab has a major impact on cropthe results convinced me chloropicrinthem details of our project, and thats marketability and profitability on ourdoesnt sterilize the soil, unbalance thealmost always enough to convince them farm, costing upwards of 20 to 50 per centmicrobiome, or support pathogens. to try chloropicrin themselves. of our production. Losses like those alsoDuring earlier parts of the season,Like any tool, chloropicrin should only bite deeply into sustainabilitywastingchloropicrin influenced some bacterialbe used when and where needed. We potatoes is poor ecological stewardship.and fungi populations more than others,pick and choose based on the variety, the Yet, in our region, many growerscompared to the non-treated. However,timing of harvest, and the soil type. But are hesitant to use a soil fumigant. Iat the end of the season, the microbiomeoverall, I do really appreciate having a understand, I started with the samehad come back almost to the samesafe and effective control option. 46SPUDSMART.COM Spring 2022'