Alexander Skvortsov, Head of Potatoes, SumiAgro
The 2021 season, like the previous one, will be remembered by Russian potato growers for not the most favorable weather conditions. Drought again and, as a result, low productivity in a number of regions, shortage of gross harvest in the country as a whole. Few expected such a scenario. Hence, a simple conclusion suggests itself - to make forecasts for yield, especially when growing on dry land, is a thankless task, the weather can "correct" any calculations. It is important to build technology in terms of optimization and maximum adaptation to unpredictable conditions and different scenarios.
The SumiAgro company always offers farmers effective reliable solutions. Since 2021, the company's portfolio has included the Prestige® insect-fungicide dressing agent. This product reliably protects potato seedlings from the main pathogen - rhizoctonia disease, and also controls pests in the first half of the growing season.
What has changed in Prestige® Treater? SumiAgro abandoned the formulation inside the country and returned the quality to the highest level, the product is again produced in European factories. But that's not all: in the spring of 2021, on the basis of VNIIF, an experiment was laid on tank mixtures of Prestige® with azoxystrobin (1 l / ha for the preparation) and thiophanate-methyl (two dosages 1,0 and 1,5 l / ha for the preparation ). Thiophanate-methyl is the active ingredient of the Topsin-M® fungicide (500 g / l), which is widely used to protect cereals from root rot. In the world, and, in particular, in North America, the thiophanate-methyl molecule is used in many crops, including for dressing potato seed. The spectrum of controlled diseases is very wide. In 2021, the seed material of the Arizona potato variety, heavily affected by rhizoctonia (7%), silver scab (15%), and anthracnose (4%), was used to set up the experiment. In addition, the tubers were planted in an experimental field where potatoes were grown for several years. Thus, the studies were carried out against a high infectious background of various potato pathogens... Tank mixtures were used during planting. Standard weed control and six fungicidal treatments were also carried out.
№ p / p | Option | processing Type | Consumption rate of the drug |
1 | Prestige® | Introduction of drugs into the soil during planting | (3 l / ha) |
2 | Prestige® + Topsin M® | Introduction of drugs into the soil during planting | (3 l / ha) + (1,0 l / ha) |
3 | Prestige® + Topsin M® | Introduction of drugs into the soil during planting | (3 l / ha) + (1,5 l / ha) |
4 | Prestige® + azoxystrobin 250 g / l | Introduction of drugs into the soil during planting | (3 l / ha) + (1,0 l / ha) |
5 | Control (without sample) | No processing | — |
The counts of the degree of infestation of plants by rhizoctoniae were carried out three times per season in phases: full germination, flowering, and a day before harvesting. The infestation of plants with anthracnose was assessed one day before harvesting. The infection of tubers with silver scab and fusarium was assessed 5 weeks after harvest using the express method (MA Kuznetsova, 2007). Interesting results were obtained (see table below).
Phytometric parameters of potato plants and the development of Rhizoctonia solani at different stages of plant development (variety Arizona, VNIIF, Ramenskaya Gorka, 2021)
№№ | options | Average number of stems (pcs / bush) | 1Number of affected stems,% | 2Number of affected stems,% | 3Number of affected stems,% | Average degree of damage to stems, points | Average degree of stolon infestation, score | 3Damage to tubers during harvesting,% |
1 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) | 5,41 / 5,522final match.3 | 1,3 | 3,8 | 11,4 | units1... / 0,32final match.3 | units1 / unit2 / unit3 | 03 |
2 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + Topsin-M® (1,0 l / ha) | 5,5 / 5,5 / 5,5 | 1,5 | 4,1 | 10,8 | units / 0,3 / 0,4 | units / unit / unit | 03 |
3 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + Topsin-M® (1,5 l / ha) | 5,6 / 5,5 / 5,5 | 1,2 | 3,7 | 7,1 | units / 0,2 / 0,3 | unit / unit / unit | 03 |
4 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + azoxystrobin 250 g / l (1,0 l / ha) | 5,5 / 5,6 / 5,5 | 0 | 1,2 | 3,6 | 0 / unit / 0,2 | units / unit / unit | 03 |
7 | Control (no processing) | 4,5 / 4,5 / 4,4 | 26,2 | 56,1 | 60,3 | 1,0 / 2,0 / 2,0 | 1,0 / 2,0 / 2,0 | 0 |
NDS0,95 | 0,2 / 0,2 / 0,3 | 3,0 | 3,2 | 4,0 | 0/0,2/0,3 | 0/1 | — |
2 when taken into account in the flowering phase of plants
3 the day before harvest
Prestige® has proven to be a highly effective product against rhizoctonia. The addition of Topsin-M® and azoxystrobin as a partner increased the efficiency and reduced the damage to the stems during all three counts. The greatest effect was given by the addition of Topsin-M® 1,5 l and azoxystrobin (250 g / l) 1,0 l / ha, in the effectiveness of which there was no statistically significant difference in the second and third counts. All variants ensured XNUMX% protection of stolons and, most importantly, tubers, and the preparation did an excellent job without adding partners.
Infestation of potato plants with anthracnose at the final stages of development,% (variety Arizona, VNIIF, Ramenskaya Gorka, 2021.)
№№ | options | Infestation of plants with anthracnose,% |
1 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) | 12,6 |
2 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + Topsin-M® (1,0 l / ha) | 9,7 |
3 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + Topsin-M® (1,5 l / ha) | 8,6 |
4 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + azoxystrobin 250 g / l (1,0 l / ha) | 5,3 |
5 | Control (no processing) | 14,3 |
NDS0,95 | 3,9 |
A similar effect was noted in the control of anthracnose, the use of tank mixtures increased the control of this pathogen, the maximum was again given by Topsin-M® 1,5 l / ha and azoxystrobin (250 g / l) 1,0 l / ha.
Infestation of potato tubers with common scab, silver scab and late blight-fusarium rot,% (variety Arizona, VNIIF, "Ramenskaya Gorka", 2021)
№№ | options | Infestation of tubers with common scab,% | Affection of tubers with silvery scab, *% | Infestation of tubers by late blight-fusarium rot,% |
1 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) | 0 | 3,2 | 2,2 |
2 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + Topsin-M® (1,0 l / ha) | 0 | 2,7 | 1,9 |
3 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + Topsin-M® (1,5 l / ha) | 0 | 2,8 | 2,3 |
4 | Prestige® (3 l / ha) + azoxystrobin 250 g / l (1,0 l / ha) | 0 | 1,8 | 2,2 |
7 | Control (no processing) | 0 | 9,7 | 2,3 |
NDS0,95 | 0 | 1,5 | 0,9 |
The conditions of 2021 did not favor the development of common scab: the formation of tubers occurred during the period of heavy rainfall and, accordingly, high soil moisture, which did not allow the actinomycete to penetrate into the forming tubers of the Arizona potato variety. In all variants of the experiment, there was a significant decrease in the defeat of the silvery scab in comparison with the control (3 or more times), including when processing with Prestige® in its pure form, which proves the high efficiency of pencycuron against this pathogen. The addition of thiophanate-methyl in both dosages and azoxystrobin further reduced the lesion of the silvery scab. Both diseases were counted 5 weeks after the tubers were laid for storage.
The yield results are shown in the table below.
Potato yield (НСР 0,95= 27,5) and marketability of tubers in the compared variants of the experiment, variety Arizona, VNIIF, "Ramenskaya Gorka", 2021, (NSR 0,95 = 3,7)
The increase in the yield of potatoes in the tested variants in comparison with the protected control (six treatments with fungicides against late blight and Alternaria) ranged from 41,4 to 52,2 c / ha. The use of Prestige® (3 l / ha) + Topsin-M® (1,5 l / ha), Prestige® (3 l / ha) + azoxystrobin 250 g / l (1,0 l / ha) pathogens Rhizoctonia solani, Colletotrichum coccodes, Helminthosporium solani... There was an increase in the marketability of tubers from 78% to 87–89%. The addition to the control (with six fungicidal treatments) was 52,2 and 49,4 c / ha, respectively. The difference between these options is not statistically significant, they are equally effective. Almost a twofold difference in the cost of a hectare norm of the partners' drugs suggests a greater economic efficiency of the Prestige® 3,0 l / ha + Topsin-M® 1,5 l / ha option. Thus, the insect-fungicidal preparation Prestige® is a reliable protection of seedlings and can serve as an excellent basis for tank mixtures (for processing fields characterized by a high infectious background).
In conclusion, I would like to say that now there is no ideal solution in the segment of potato tubers dressing. Many people practice tank mixes, and Prestige® is a reliable basis for them. This is exactly what the experience described above has shown.