A long wet and cold spring, a long summer drought and an extremely rainy autumn - this is how briefly you can characterize the conditions in which potatoes had to be grown and harvested in 2022.
Weather conditions created a comfortable environment for the spread of certain diseases and pests of the crop, which affected the volume of the crop.
Diseases of potatoes
According to the observations of Nikolai Parashchenko, Ph.D., manager for the development and application of products on corn and special crops at BASF, in the past season, potatoes in the industrial sector suffered the most from rhizoctoniosis, late blight, alternaria and bacterioses. Valeria Ananyeva, product manager at Shans Group, added fusarium to this list.
Experts noted that the early manifestation of rhizoctoniosis was due to a difficult spring: May in most of the “potato” regions of the country was characterized by high humidity and low temperatures (compared to climatic norms), potato planting was delayed by an average of two to three weeks. Hot weather and moisture deficit in the second half of summer provoked the widespread occurrence of Alternariosis. And the record amount of precipitation in autumn led to the “flourishing” of late blight and fusarium. “The development of these diseases was favored by high humidity in the field (90-100%) at a temperature above +10 ° C for two to six weeks from desiccation to harvest,” Valeria Ananyeva stated.
In addition to weather factors, the use of contaminated seed material, non-observance of crop rotation, illiterate selection of plant protection products (as well as non-compliance with the schedule of treatments or reduction in their number) contributed to the mass spread of diseases in Russian farms. Moreover, this list can be expanded, given that weakened plants are primarily susceptible to diseases. As Nikolai Parashchenko emphasized, a decrease in plant immunity can be caused by many reasons, for example, excess consumption rates during herbicide treatment or unbalanced mineral nutrition.
Top five pests of the season
When compiling the 2022 potato pest activity rating, experts noted that this is an average version that is relevant for the country as a whole.
From the point of view of Nikolai Parashchenko, the most favorable conditions for the spread of wireworm, Colorado potato beetle, nibbling scoops and stem (tuber) nematodes were created in the season ended. In seed plots, aphids caused problems.
Commenting on the situation with the nematode, the BASF technical manager noted that the main sources of pest spread are infected seed material and soil that gets from one field to another on the working bodies of agricultural machines. And the key reasons for the mass distribution are non-compliance with crop rotation and an extremely meager list of nematicides on the Russian market.
Valeria Ananyeva gave the first place in the rating of pests to the stem nematode (lat. Ditylenchus destructor). The specialist explained her decision by the fact that increased soil moisture during autumn contributed to a strong increase in tuber infection (it is known that with a moisture capacity of 40% only 10% of tubers are affected, but already at 60% moisture capacity - 62,8% of tubers, and at 80 - percentage - up to 90%).
The second line in the rating of Valeria Ananyeva was received by leafhoppers. Recall that these pests are dangerous primarily because they are carriers of the stolbur wilt virus, the spindle tuber viroid, and the L virus. As the expert noted, in the second half of the summer leafhoppers actively migrated and increased populations due to the hot and dry weather favorable for them.
The cutworm occupied the third place: in the spring, due to late planting and a prolonged period of germination, cutworm caterpillars damaged a significant percentage of potato stalks in the central and southern regions of the country.
The next position in terms of severity was taken by the Colorado potato beetle. The summer heat this year contributed to the high rate of its spread. According to the expert, on the fields of farms that reduced the number of insecticidal treatments, breeding centers of this pest were recorded.
The peach aphid closes the rating: due to high summer temperatures in many regions of the country, two waves of reproduction of a harmful insect were noted - at the end of June and at the beginning of August.
Preparing for planting
Summing up the results of the 2022 season, we are also thinking about what difficulties potato growers expect in the next. Some problems originate in the past year, and this is important to consider. So, according to the product manager of the Shans Group of Companies Valeria Ananyeva, after the difficult conditions of autumn, a significant part of Russian farms will face a high level of spread of all fungal infections and an abundance of weeds.
In general, experts recommend, as always, a responsible approach to the formation of a strategy for protecting plantings from diseases and pests and starting with the competent processing of seed material.
“If we calculate the economic efficiency of each individual stage of the potato growing technology, then seed processing will come first when calculating the investment per unit of profit,” Nikolay Parashchenko, manager for the development and use of products for corn and special crops at BASF, is convinced. - And vice versa, if you do not take seed treatment seriously, then losses in yield and quality cannot be compensated for in other phases of the growing season. Especially when we are talking about seed plots.”
The specialist urged agricultural producers not to save on seed treatment, to choose fungicidal disinfectants that effectively work against rhizoctoniosis, have a long-term effect and do not have a depressing (retardant) effect on the crop.
Commenting on the stage of planting potatoes, the expert also recalled the need to use an insecticide to ensure reliable protection of the crop from a complex of soil pests, and advised not to forget about high-quality tillage, sowing time and the importance of applying full doses of mineral nutrition in the ratio N:P:K - 1 :1-1,2:1,6-2. In addition, Nikolai Parashchenko suggested paying attention to the content of Ca, Mg and B in the soil, as well as being extremely careful when applying herbicides (do not exceed the established norms and terms of application).
In continuation of the conversation about the risks of the new season, the expert gave recommendations to potato growers not to wait for late blight manifestations, but to work preventively with fungicides; and timely carry out insecticidal treatments against the Colorado potato beetle, changing the active ingredients in the scheme.
The specialist pointed out that during the season there will also be a threat of mass development of alternariosis (when the first signs appear, it will be necessary to start working with fungicides), various bacterioses, pitium and anthracnose. When forming a strategy for protection against these diseases, in addition to chemical means of protection, it is worth providing a sufficient amount of calcium in the soil. Potatoes, which are well supplied with calcium, are less injured and subsequently less affected by bacterioses.