At the moment, there are estimates that approximately 20-30% of the Irish main potato crop remains to be harvested. However, this varies from region to region, with the south and east suffering the worst effects of the recent storms. It’s a similar situation in the UK and in the Netherlands; they also estimate that 25-30% of the crops has yet to be harvested.
Many soils are waterlogged and so trafficability is poor and makes harvesting very slow. In most cases, harvesters are travelling at between 1-2km/hour, so naturally it will take longer to complete the harvest.
There have been many reports of soft and pink rots in crops, especially where the water table was high. Waterlogged areas, such as the one in the picture above, should be avoided at all costs, as these will slow down the process and only bring more trouble into the store. They also pose a serious risk of damaging expensive equipment. Store high risk areas, e.g. tramlines and wet headlands, in separate boxes and leave them near a door where they can be accessed quickly if needed.
As temperatures drop during the rest of the season, crops will become more difficult to dry and cure so again this process will take time. Gangrene also becomes more of a problem in colder wetter conditions, so try to reduce physical damage as much as possible. This involves constant monitoring of the entire harvesting process.
When taking samples to test for damage, make sure to take them from different steps along the process including: the lifting shares; from the different webs on the harvester; and from different depths within the boxes. This will give a clearer insight to where damage is occurring during harvest which can then be addressed. This will need to be completed daily and especially when moving from one crop to another.
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