A lack of nutrients causes internal and external crop damage

NUTRIENT deficiency is a common problem for potato growers in the UK.

A lack of nutrients causes internal and external crop damage which inevitably results in financial losses. So which nutrients can prevent this from happening? Oscar Thacker, area manager at Yara, talks about the key nutrients needed for potato crops.

For healthy potato crop growth and formation, potassium, nitrogen, phosphate, and calcium are all key micronutrients.

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"Both nitrogen and potassium are key for vegetative growth, tuber formation, and bulking, but potassium in particular is required in large quantities," says Oscar.

"A 38.5t/ha crop can remove more than 120kg/ha of nitrogen whereas it can remove over 200kg/ha of potassium."

Nitrogen is recycled from leaf to the tuber during bulking and the same can be said for potassium, which is key for high yields and maintaining tuber integrity. Just like potassium, phosphate is also required in relatively large quantities during early growth.

When it comes to calcium, deficiencies in soil are a problem for growers of potato crops. Calcium plays a role in soil pH, but it's also incredibly important when it comes to those all-important quality parameters.

"Calcium is a crucial nutrient," says Oscar. "Potatoes need calcium to strengthen the skins of the tubers, providing a better skin finish and better resistance to many diseases including black scurf, silver scurf, and common and powdery scab."

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Calcium deficiency is also a common cause of internal rust spot and so applying the right source of calcium at the right time is essential. Growers can ensure crops have a plant- available source of calcium with the right product.

"Many growers apply liming materials to the soil however, they won't provide plant-available calcium to the crop and therefore it won't provide sufficient supply to meet the demand," says Oscar. "Calcium nitrate, such as YaraLiva Tropicote, provides soluble calcium that is plant-available, unlike the liming materials."

For best results, Yara offers growers an important tip for application. "Remember to keep some of your nitrogen back from the seedbed application for the calcium nitrate dressing, to ensure your potato crop receives the right soluble calcium," adds Oscar.

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