UK: Potato growers told to get ‘more mileage’ out of CIPC sprout suppressant

Getting “more mileage” out of a key potato sprout suppressant will be imperative when label changes come into force this season, growers have been told. Subject to approval for the 2016-17 season, new statutory limits on total chlorpropham (CIPC) sprout suppressant dose will be lowered to 24g/t for the fresh potato market and 42g/t for processing. The maximum total dose for processing potatoes will continue to reduce over the next two seasons to the EU level of 36g/t. The chemical is a vital tool to control sprouting and is applied to about 3.5m tonnes of potatoes stored each year. “CIPC is still the best sprout suppressant available. We can get more mileage out of it,” says Adrian Briddon, secretary of the CIPC Stewardship. More