How big the effects of the drought will be on the new potatoes, differs strongly by grower. "You have growers who irrigate and a group that don't have that option. That makes a difference in the state of the crops. For the latter group the situation is tighter," says director Wim van de Ree of potato cooperation Nedato. "But the growers who can irrigate are also tired of the situation. It's 24/7 work."
"It's hard to predict what the consequences will be exactly. You can look at similar situations in previous years, but experience teaches us that you can't copy them 1-for-1. We know one thing and that's that the main harvest will start much later. The potatoes aren't dead yet but aren't doing much either. If it rains next week the main harvest that wasn't irrigated will get a growth boost, which will mainly express itself in foliage growth. A number of varieties will respond to that with waxiness, but the sorting is still so small that this isn't that problematic. It does mean that the potatoes will only tube in mid July, a month later than usual, but I daren't say how this will translate into the final harvest."
"The mood is optimistic, as everyone expects a lower yield. Normally the yields will be lower. In the early table potatoes for instance, you can see that plots of Frisians have been worn out. So the early varieties certainly won't make their tonnage, but they are only a small part of the total. The main harvest is 4 week behind, that's one thing that's for sure. And the potatoes that had to deal with water shortage are struggling. Last week with temperatures of 30 degrees the crops were wilting, now the foliage is slightly more fresh, but there is still no moisture in the soil."
For more informaiton:
Wim van de Ree
Nedato
Jan van der Heijdenstraat 48
3261 LE Oud-Beijerland
T: +31 (0)186 645945
info@nedato.nl
www.nedato.com