‘Potato yields are going to depend on water availability’ – Farmers Guardian

We’ve seen our first otters in the garden this spring, a female and two cubs, swimming around in a drainage ditch that joins the Waveney.

We’ve also seen a huge mayfly hatch again, watching them dancing in the evenings is an incredible sight. Considering mayflies are regarded as good bio-indicators of healthy rivers, I find it hard to reconcile the high numbers with the fact that the River Waveney is reported as being heavily contaminated with neonicotinoids from farming.

We have also been blessed with the sound of cuckoos echoing. across the valley and my dad was again here to hear them call.

The agricultural year has been dominated by a dry winter followed by a spring and summer with no rain and very hot weather. In the winter of 2023/24, the Waveney valley was flooded nine or 10 times, we lost count, but this winter (2024/25) hardly at all.

The very dry spring led to excellent soil and drilling conditions, al- though the lack of subsequent rain challenged emergence in some sugar beet fields. Potatoes were plant- ed in excellent conditions and most. crops were up and running much earlier than normal.

The long hot spring and summer has only just recently broken in the east, and we’ve had between 60- 90mm of rain at the end of July. At one time we were hotter and drier than 1976.

In 1976 the price of potatoes went through the roof, but at present there seems to be very little movement in the market. Yields of potatoes will be dependent on water availability. Well-watered crops will be strong, with others challenged in terms of yield and quality.

There is some secondary growth in these unirrigated or poorly irrigated crops and correctly timed maleic hydrazide can help reduce this.

Black dot is likely to be an issue in some packing fields where crops have senesced unevenly due to water availability and will need careful management. Bruising is also likely to be an issue in some fields, so harvest could be a challenge to get the right quality going into store.

So far incidents of late blight have been low and mainly in the west and Scotland, but some of those confirmed have been EU46 with the resistance gene for oxathiapiprolin, so we must be on our guard when weather conditions are more suitable for blight in the coming seasons.

Sugar beet has been a challenge in terms of weed control, with fat hen proving difficult to control if it got away in the hot, dry conditions. With many crops on lighter soils flagging, due to drought and late emergence, fat hen has added to the issues.

Beet moth has raised its head again and now seems to be part of the crop in the UK. We’re still un- sure of how to manage it, hopefully the industry will find a solution in the coming seasons. Pyrethroids will have an effect on adults and early larvae – but the effect on beneficials is not really what we want.

The emergency approval for Cora- gen has a much better beneficials profile but comes at significantly increased cost.

Mildew was the earliest disease detected in the UK crop this season, but no doubt rust and cercospora will be the main challenges as the season progresses. First sprays have gone on and the timing of the next spray will be in three to four weeks, depending on weather conditions.

The British Beet Research Organisation is running the cercospora early warning model once again and this should give growers and agronomists the heads up on what the risk is for their growing area and to help get the timing of the next fungicide spot on.

So, it’s all to play for over the next few weeks and some challenging decisions will need to be made.