Competitive cultivation strategies: Who dares wins

Cultivation for all

NIAB CUF has conducted a range of experiments over the years on cultivation and this makes sense as a topic to investigate. 

Not everyone can choose their soils. Not all have access to water for irrigation. But all growers can manipulate their pre-planting cultivations and all aim to do the best possible job.

From 75 experiments over five years the conclusion is that 270 mm is the optimal depth for a destoned bed prior to planting, allowing the job to be done at a good speed without yield reduction compared with deeper cultivation. 

The trouble is that these results suggest that many growers don’t have things quite right, and this bone of contention can only be settled one way.

Olympics over but SPot still provides fierce competition

Should potato crops be hardened up so they root deeper?

On August 18^th SPot Farm West, James Daw’s farm, welcomed two specialist groups. 

Morning saw the ‘Next Generation’ and the afternoon welcomed the Independent Potato Agronomists. 
Facetious AHDB staff commented on the considerable difference between the average age in the morning and that of the afternoon.

Both youth and experience however, asked the same questions to Mark Stalham of NIAB CUF who was discussing irrigation:

Cover crops as drying agents - a happy accident!

We like stories of discoveries made by accident, with penicillin a prime example. 

The use of cover crops for making soil easier to cultivate isn’t a completely new idea, and it hardly comes into the penicillin category, but it was a striking finding at SPot Farm West this year which could benefit many growers.

The aim of the cover crop trial, as planned by Marc Allison of NIAB-CUF and host-farmer James Daw, was to see what reduction in nitrogen fertiliser should be made when cover crops or manure applications are made. There is a risk that manure or an incorporated cover crop could lead to excess nitrogen (N) take-up by the subsequent potato crop. 

The finding that a live cover crop at ploughing made the ground easier for all cultivations was incidental.

Didn’t they do well… now it’s your turn!

Hi there, good of you to pop by!  

With this season’s activities well under way thanks to the united efforts of Messrs Burgess, Francis, Stalham and Tomalin earlier in the year, thoughts are turning to what might be showcased next season at SPot Farm East.   

This is where you come in, what would YOU, yes YOU guys and gals, want to see at SPot East and talk about on twitter in 2017… in relation to potatoes of course!!

This year we showcased at SPot Farm East: