Potato growers in Britain are advised to reduce cultivation depths this season to improve soil condition and work rates, as persistent rain stops play, as Emma Gillbard reports for Farmers Weekly.
With the optimum planting window narrowing, independent potato consultant Mark Stalham advises growers to reduce cultivations by 5-6cm, since producing 28cm-deep beds will save both time and diesel.
“Typically speaking, potato growers work soils too deep, producing destoned beds 33-34cm deep. This risks de-structuring soils and the extra porosity created can cause slumping – particularly in the current wet conditions,” explains Dr Stalham. “Growers are working machines unnecessarily harder, wasting time and energy for no real benefit.”
Source: Farmers Weekly. Read the full story here
Photo: Credit wirestock on Freepik
