A modified single-pass planter and hilling system from Spudnik played a key role in Chad Berry's potato experiment.
He made a parallel comparison between traditional spring tillage and direct planting of potatoes.
Why it's important: Initial data from trying to scale up potato production with minimal tillage looks good in terms of yield and quality.
The demonstration test was carried out in collaboration with Simplot Canada. In half of the field, the potatoes were planted directly into the canola stubble, and three soil probes were installed on each side to measure soil compaction and moisture.
“It definitely helped with soil erosion,” Berry said. “The previous fall, both sides of the field were still deeply pitted, but the section of the field intended for direct planting only went through one pass in the spring of 2020.
Berry's planters have already been upgraded to a single-pass planting, hilling and fertilizing system that uses hillers inspired by technology that Berry and local equipment company genAg saw at Agritechnica in Germany. Berry and genAg then worked on adapting hillers for the North American machine, resulting in Berry's 34-inch eight-row Spudnik planters.
The result, according to Berry, was two fewer passes before landing. Fuel savings were about 2,5 gallons of diesel per tillage pass.
“When you calculate your EPA carbon footprint, it's about 0,051 tons of CO2 per acre,” said Scott Graham, development manager at Simplot Canada.
Both Graham and Vikram Bisht, a provincial agronomist who was invited as the project's technical advisor, commented on the 2020 results as positive. They found that there was no significant reduction in yield or quality when planted directly.
Bisht noted the neutral impact on yields and quality for other growers looking to address erosion issues, and also pointed to the potential savings in fuel and equipment wear.
However, direct planted potatoes showed a three to four day delay in emergence, although this did not result in a delay in harvesting. Berry said he was pleased with the test, although there are probably still ways to hone the controls for better results.