We’ve joined forces with the Potato Council and HGCA to promote good practice with glyphosate ahead of this year’s cereal and oil seed harvests.
Drift when spraying can cause significant damage to potato crops, especially seed crops, even at concentrations below the level of detection.
Problems often go unnoticed until the crop has been marketed and replanted and the fall-out can be commercial disputes that often take several years and large sums of money to resolve. Two key areas of best practice can make all the difference:
- Sprayer hygiene - following a good wash out procedure and using a double rinse procedure (with All Clear if necessary).
- Drift awareness - checking wind speed and direction and weather conditions, leaving a suitable headland of unsprayed crop, avoiding excessive boom bounce and using low drift nozzles and anti-drift agents as appropriate.
NFU potato forum member and agronomist, Andy Alexander, said: “The effects of even small traces of glyphosate on potato seed crops can lead to severe partial or total crop loss, something the NFU is all too aware of having supported a large number of growers affected by this type of issue over the years.
“Prevention is always better than cure, and a good starting point is ensuring good sprayer hygiene, adhering to advice on plant protection product labels and being aware of the location and type of neighbouring crops.”
Farm businesses, contractors and growers are encouraged to work together to raise awareness. Free leaflets and in cab stickers and further details about the campaign can be found here.
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