Potatoes

There are currently around 150,000 Ha of potatoes grown in the UK and from this area more than 7 million tons of tubers are harvested each year.

Patentkali is a complex compound fertiliser (CCF) in granular form which means that every granule contains all the nutrients present for maximum availability and nutrient distribution. Patentkali will spread with a uniform pattern at bout widths up to 36m.

Potatoes have a particularly high requirement for nutrients for several reasons. The overall fresh yield is quite large compared to cereals and other combinable crops and therefore a large quantity of nutrients are removed from the soil. The roots of potatoes do not explore very deeply into the soil or cover a wide range. All of the nutrient requirement therefore must come from the limited volume of soil in contact with the relatively small root system.

Patentkali was developed with potato production in mind. The nutrients are water soluble, and in a mild form to deliver a powerful effect. The ratio of K to Mg of 3:1 has been created to supply nutrients to the crop in just the right ratio.

Low chloride Most of the potash used in the UK is in the form of Muriate of Potash (MOP) which is KCl (Potassium Chloride) Although MOP is used in potato production, growers must be careful to apply the product well in advance of planting due to the damaging effect that the chloride element can have on the young plants. This susceptibility can vary enormously between species and also with variety. In fact the agronomy of potato production often treats different varieties almost as different crops. With Patentkali, the chloride levels are virtually nil and so the product can be safely applied right up until planting or even topped up post-emergence as a top dressing. By using this form of potash, specific qualities of potatoes can also be altered. Sulphate of potash (SOP) generally has the following effects.

Greater tuber numbers. Earlier maturation and harvest. Increased dry matter. Not always required but for floury potatoes, crops going for processing (chips or crisps) this increase can be crucial to meet the processors criteria. The higher dry matter also decreases fat absorption after frying. Improved flavour. Potatoes grown with SOP have a more intense flavour Less skin cracking, particularly on high pH soils.

Note: The effects that SOP has on potato quality are well documented and widely accepted by both the potato industry and the fertiliser industry. What is also known however is that the most important factors determining potato quality are variety and environmental factors. Nutrient management can only play one part in the management of the potato crop for optimum quality.