11 Feb Agronomy Update – Feb 11

Posted at 16:12h in Recent News by

Good afternoon everyone,

A few updates to pass along before the end of the week.

 

Fall Hilling:  An Option for PEI Growers?

I’ve completed a factsheet (PDF) that summarizes what we’ve found as part of AIM trials in ten fields over four years when comparing hilling/ridging in the fall versus conventional field management.

Take home messages:

  • Over 10 site-years, we saw a positive trend of 16.5 cwt/acre and $216/acre in favour of fall hilling.
  • Results were positive in 8 out of 10 fields.
  • While total yield did not seem to change much, there were improvements in quality and size distribution.
  • This small level of increase may still be not statistically different from zero.  However, we can say that there is no negative effect of fall hilling on yield.
  • By moving tillage and hilling up earlier in the fall (before potato harvest), it allows to enough time to get a good cover established and may also result in at least one fewer tillage pass.

Please check out the factsheet and feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

 

2021 Research Reports:

I’m in the process of uploading our 2021 Research Trial Reports to the Agronomy Website.  You can find them at https://peipotatoagronomy.com/publications/.  I have a couple more to add early next week.  We will be sharing more extension-focused presentations and updates throughout the winter and spring, but for those interested in digging into the numbers a bit…check out those reports!  Reports from 2020 are also up there (scroll down a bit).

 

2022 Operation Pollinator:

The PEI Potato Board is participating in Operation Pollinator with Syngenta Canada again this year.  I am taking names of those interested in participating this year.  Key specifics of the program:

  • We supply seed for up to 2 acres of a multi-species pollinator-friendly mixture.
  • We pay $200/acre to go toward seeding and maintenance costs.
  • Pollinator refuges should be multi-year (not just for one year in rotation) and ideally should be for non-productive land, buffer zones, grassed waterways, areas around the farm yard.

Here is our promo page from last year.  Disregard the due date, but do contact me at your earliest convenience if you are interested, as we have limited spots available.

Have a great weekend,

Ryan