Potato quality threatened by poor volunteer control in sugar beet

UK - May 26, 2006

Volunteer potatoes in sugar beet threaten potato growers’ ability to achieve the very high standards of skin finish demanded by supermarkets. 

Daughter tuber proliferation is highest in sugar beet, the least competitive crop in the rotation. What’s more, the problem is getting worse as mild winters have allowed a higher carry over of viable tubers from year to the next carrying over tuber-borne diseases and pests. However, sugar beet is also an easy crop in which to control the volunteers. 

Trials by Dow AgroSciences indicate that just five volunteer potato plants on a square metre will reduce sugar beet yields by up to 22 t/ha.  Today’s sugar beet grower has to achieve 70-80 t/ha to earn an acceptable margin.  Despite the reduced prices for sugar beet, volunteer potato control remains a very worthwhile investment.   

“The returns from controlling volunteer potatoes in sugar beet are high,” says Dow AgroSciences Colin Bowers. “There is both the increased beet yield from removing weed competition and the bonus is preventing the losses of yield and quality likely to occur in the next potato crop.   

“Dow Shield (clopyralid) gives the highest level of control, provided a total of 1.0 l/ha is used alone or in a sequence of two, three or four applications from the 10 cm stage of the volunteer potato with 7 -10 day spray intervals,” says Mr Bowers.