The progress of potato harvesting in Manitoba, Canada, is experiencing a slow start, with only 15-20% of the crops harvested as reported by Dr. Vikram Bisht, a Potato and Horticulture Crop Pathologist at Manitoba Agriculture. The delay is attributed to thunderstorms that occurred between September 16 and 19, affecting primarily the southeast and eastern regions of Manitoba. These storms have contributed to rainfall amounts that are 103% to 156% above the 30-year average for the area since May 1.
Additionally, high temperatures prior to the storms had already interrupted harvesting operations. The subsequent heavy rainfall has further exacerbated delays, particularly in the eastern potato regions of Manitoba. In contrast, areas not yet affected by the rain were employing supplemental irrigation due to the dryness of the soil in the 0-30 cm top layer before the storms hit.
Regarding potato crop health, the crops are currently in the maturation phase, with physiological development days (P-Days) ranging between 830 and 900. Despite the challenging wet conditions, no cases of late blight have been reported in Manitoba. However, farmers are tackling instances of "Potato early dying" disease, attributed to Verticillium wilt and black dot, across several fields.
The future of the harvest remains uncertain due to the unpredictable weather forecast. The Manitoba Potato Report is offering SPRAYcast, a 3-day spray advisory weather forecast, to assist farmers in optimizing their disease management strategies amidst these difficult conditions.
Source: Potato News Today