The Potato Council has produced a new guide to early season potato irrigation to accompany its existing guidance document.

Potato Council data suggests 55% of growers have irrigation equipment and 40% of the total potato crop is grown on land with short term tenancies. However, by changing management practices and having a long term strategy for water use the recent problems of scarcity flooding and poor water quality could be alleviated.

According to the Council, “Growers recognise the importance of water and how valuable a resource it is. However, as demand for water increases, it is increasingly necessary to justify need and provide evidence of efficient use, both for environmental protection and to meet crop protocol requirements.”

The new guide also considers the effect of irrigation on disease and common scab development. It can be downloaded from the Potato Council website.

This post first appeared on HortNews.