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Every year new potato production projects appear in Russia. The success of such undertakings depends on many factors, including weather and economic, and yet a lot is in the hands of the farmers themselves. We talk with Vladislav Kharitonov, agronomist-consultant at the Chance Group of Companies, about what steps future potato growers need to start with in order to avoid mistakes and unnecessary costs.
“The decision to include potatoes in the crop rotation should not be spontaneous,” the expert emphasizes at the start of the conversation, “preparation should begin at least two years before the intended planting.”
First of all, agricultural producers should assess the condition of the selected area (if necessary, remove soil compaction, level the surface), make sure that there are no quarantine objects, and correctly select the predecessor crop in crop rotation (the best options: winter wheat or green manure fallow).
An equally important step is to decide on the direction of production: it is planned to grow an early product, for long-term storage, for washing, for processing. The duration of protection (number of treatments) and the level of investment in plant protection products will depend on this. About a year before the launch of the project, you need to understand where the seed material will be purchased. “A lot of diseases can be brought with untested seeds purchased on occasion,” the expert is convinced.
It is necessary to pay attention to the level of weed infestation in the field. Many weeds are temporary habitats for pests and pathogens. “The presence of creeping wheatgrass, for example, practically guarantees the presence of click beetle (wireworm) larvae in the soil,” comments Vladislav Kharitonov, “and the sow thistle is loved by the stem nematode.”
It is better to begin the fight against difficult-to-eradicate weeds in advance, combining agrotechnical and chemical methods. Of course, as the specialist notes, modern herbicides will help get rid of “competing” plants even at the height of the growing season, but in this case the costs of the agricultural enterprise will be higher and the result will be worse.
“Among our regular clients there is a farm that has been growing potatoes for 20 years,” Vladislav Kharitonov gives an example of a well-structured strategy. “This season, to keep the fields clean, two treatments were enough for them - they used 300 g/ha of metribuzin and 30 g/ha of rimsulfuron (Zenkoshans, KS and Shantus, VDG), while the average yield was at the level of 50-60 t/ha. This is the level we need to strive for.”
The expert emphasizes that to solve the problem, drugs with different active ingredients are used during the season, which helps to avoid resistance. This approach should be maintained when developing pest and disease management programs and existing schemes should be reviewed annually to ensure compliance with this requirement. “Agricultural producers often think that they will always be able to control late blight or the Colorado potato beetle using a well-proven means of protection,” says Vladislav Kharitonov, “but they should not rest on their laurels, resistance to it can develop quite quickly. There is only one way to prevent addiction: during treatments (including pre-planting), alternate drugs with different active ingredients and different mechanisms of action. The range of plant protection products on the market is quite diverse, and it is necessary to take advantage of it. In our company’s product line, for example, there are four drugs (Metachance, JV; Tanoshans, VDG;
; Chistosad, KS) from late blight and two from the Colorado potato beetle (Imidashance, VRK; Fassance, K.E.). "
When developing a protection scheme, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the cultivated varieties. For example, many common fried varieties are sensitive to metribuzin, so enterprises specializing in the production of raw materials for processing have to refuse those containing this active ingredient. drugs. Information about a variety's resistance to metribuzin is usually indicated in the description provided by the breeder.
Bacteriosis causes significant difficulties when growing potatoes: under favorable conditions (warm and humid), bacteria multiply quickly, are easily transmitted from plant to plant, and are difficult to diagnose in the early stages of the disease. The fight against bacteriosis involves the use of a set of techniques.
As the expert notes, there is no “magic pill” for bacterial diseases yet, but there are proven preventive measures, including the use of copper-containing drugs. “The Chance Group of Companies has a fungicide in its line Chistosad, KS (a.v.: 345 g/l tribasic copper sulfate), explains Vladislav Kharitonov, “it increases the plant’s immunity, and therefore its resistance to infection.”
Even a perfectly calibrated defense scheme often needs adjustments during the season - most often, amendments are made due to weather conditions. “This year it was a dry June in Central Russia,” says Vladislav Kharitonov, “potatoes, which were grown without watering, needed additional support. A good solution was to add amino acid-based fertilizers to the regimen (Micropolidok Boron, Micropolidok Zinc). But July, on the contrary, was rainy, which created conditions for the development of late blight. During periods of high humidity, it was necessary to quickly reduce the intervals between treatments. Anyone who was literally two days late encountered manifestations of the disease in the field.”
When tops are infected with spores, the risk of tuber infection increases many times over. That is why, from the point of view of the agronomist-consultant of the Chance Group of Companies, it is unacceptable to reduce the number of treatments against infection: by the time of desiccation there should be no late blight on the stems and leaves.
The interval between desiccation and harvesting is 7-14 days, depending on the characteristics of the variety. “By harvesting, the potatoes must have peeled,” says Vladislav Kharitonov, “otherwise all efforts to grow will be in vain: the potatoes simply will not be stored.”
“The secrets to getting a good potato harvest are simple,” the specialist summarizes, “crop rotation, high-quality seed material, an optimal protection scheme, well-organized harvesting. These are the conditions for obtaining a quality product at a reasonable cost. Today there is no other recipe.”
GC "Chance"
8 (800) 700-90-36
The Chance group of companies has been operating in the plant protection products market since 2004 and is one of the five largest federal companies in the industry. The product line of Chance Group includes more than 80 high-quality preparations from all groups of pesticides and microfertilizers. More than 5000 agricultural producers use Chance Group of Companies’ products to protect their crops in all regions of the Russian Federation and foreign countries. According to RSP KhPP, GC "Chance" is the LEADER of the Russian pesticide market in terms of annual percentage growth in sales in liters.
The group of companies is actively developing the area of agrotechnical services and improving the technological effectiveness of all its processes: developing new unique preparations and products for agrodrones.
In 2020, the Chance Group of Companies opened the Chance Enterprise plant, one of the most modern enterprises in Russia and the largest in Europe for the production of plant protection chemicals. The plant is located in the Lipetsk region. Its capacity is more than 50 million liters of products per year, meeting international standards. The company is included in the list of systemically important organizations of the Russian economy