How does Nutrino Pro protect yield in potatoes?
This year, wet conditions have made growing potatoes in the UK very challenging. Crops had restricted or reduced rooting structure following a colder, late spring and slow emergence and so nutrient capture and efficiency was impacted. Nutrino Pro can be used as a highly efficient nutrient source that is taken directly through the leaf, rather than requiring soil moisture and/or root network for uptake.
Nutrino Pro has proven to be a useful tool in dealing with this heavy rainfall and the potential loss of nitrogen from the rooting zone, as proven by a grower in the chipping industry in Cambridgeshire. The grower planted a crop of ‘Markies’ on 21st April 2023. As a Group 1 variety, ‘Markies’ is known to be particularly hungry for nitrogen and reliant upon it to meet its full potential and reduce the risk of Alternaria, a yield robbing disease that can rapidly defoliate infected crops prior to natural senescence. Given the end market, improving bulking to produce higher yield and a greater grade out of large tubers (65 – 80 mm) was of upmost importance.
Immediately after the crop was planted in April, there was a substantial amount of rain and flooding, leading to leaching. Typically, 200mm of rainfall from the time of application can leach 25-30kg/N/Ha out of the rooting zone. Fortunately, the grower treated some of the crop with Nutrino Pro, a controlled-release nitrogen, magnesium & sulphur combined with our biostimulant technologies pidolic acid and R100® to top up his nitrogen during the seaon that had potentially been lost soon after planting.
Following the wet April & May, June 2023 was the hottest on record for the UK. During periods of stress, such as, heat or drought, Nutrino Pro has been proven in trials to deliver up to 100% nutrient use efficiency, whereas the NUE of traditional soil applied fertilisers is typically 50% in dry conditions. This is because Nutrino Pro provides a highly efficient nitrogen source, which is slowly released over a period of 6-8 weeks. In addition, pidolic acid encourages the nitrogen assimilation cycle to continue, whilst R100® stimulates cytokinin production and supports nutrient uptake in the plant.
Six yield digs were taken from treated and untreated tramlines across the full length of the field in October. There was a substantial visual difference in the canopies, with greener, broader leaves noted by eye and picked up by satellite NDVI biomass imagery The grower had previously said that he was aiming to produce a greater number of >80mm potatoes in order to gain a premium price from buyers. When the potatoes were dug, the treated tramlines also showed an increase in size averaging 65-80mm, compared to the untreated control.
In fact, the areas treated with Nutrino Pro led to a significant increase in yield. In the presence of four treatments at 10l/ha, total marketable yield increased by over 20 t/ha, despite the conditions that the potatoes were exposed to. Although this type of yield increase is unusual, responses to Nutrino Pro has proven to be significant, with the typical average yield response to Nutrino Pro more like 3-5 t/ha in replicated small plot trials.
If you would like to find out more about Nutrino Pro, you can do so here.
