Reduced supply may boost price of potatoes
Reduced supply could boost prices for growers, who are already benefiting from reasonable yields of Home Guard crops being lifted in Wexford and Cork. Prices for these are coming back, according to last week’s Teagasc crops bulletin, but the continuing supply of refrigerated Rooster poatoes is not thought to causing any major market problems for growers.
Advisers say British Queen crops look well, but some have herbicide or frost damage.
A bigger worry is the blight which appeared on many forward crops in the past forthnight.
Once blight gets a grip on a crop it’s very hard to get rid of it completely, warned advisers, who recommended two sprays of Cymoxanill or Dimethomorph in quick succession.
Tillage farmers are also advised to guard against wet weather diseases in cereals, with fusarium control frequently needed in the final fungicide treatment. Winter cereal crops were generally looking well after the dry spell, said advisers. But many winter wheat crops towards the south had high levels of septoria on the third and fourth last leaves. Along with wet weather diseases, growers should watch for BYDV and aphids in late sown barley crops.
