Potato crops across Europe and around the UK have been severely affected by this summer’s drought according to reports. According to Potato Business, ‘Yield test digs in France are now trending similar to last year and are 4% lower than the five-year average, but senescence is more advanced this year.’ The overall area is up by around 1% on last year.
“Areas with access to irrigation were able to salvage what needed to be salvaged, but those without irrigation will be hard hit this year,” Loïc Le Meur from Union Nationale des Producteurs de Pommes de Terre, told the publication. “On average, the worst potato yield is expected since the beginning of the 21st Century.”
At the same time, Fresh Plaza cited Kees Bijl of Bijl Aardappelen of the Netherlands, who recently said, “The plots that can’t be irrigated will, undoubtedly, provide less weighty potatoes. Yields are lower throughout Western Europe, which keeps the market moody. It’s hard to say what prices the winter will bring, but for now, I don’t see them dropping. I think the market will remain healthy, with above-average prices.”
The sentiments contrast to the depressed outlook in the UK, where the prospect of lower yields has not increased market values. Some observers report yield loses between 10 and 50%, depending on whether crops have been irrigated or not.
According to Syngenta, the results of this year’s Quantis heat-stress biostimulant field trials suggest yields may be over 30% lower in untreated crops. “What appears apparent is that a Quantis application at early tuber initiation has been hugely beneficial in helping plants to set more tubers,” said Syngenta Technical Manager, Andy Cunningham.