Badger Beat Seed Potato Treatment Options Studied
Researchers study the effects of early season handling and disease control treatments on potato By Dr. Amanda Gevens, chair, professor and integrated extension specialist, University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Department of Plant Pathology; Shane Hansen, doctoral candidate, UW-Madison Plant Pathology; and Stephen Jordan, outreach specialist, UW-Madison Plant Pathology
Healthy, certified seed and a maximum potato stand provide the
best start for a profitable crop. Optimal conditions for planting are sometimes provided by Mother Nature, but growers also prepare for less-than-optimum conditions when orchestrating seed handling and early season disease management in potatoes. This article addresses some of our recent research as we develop and enhance best management practices to positively influence stand and crop health.
Seed cutting and suberization. In North America, most growers cut seed tubers to create seed pieces. Aside from the treatment of seed, cut and single drop seed statuses have
Dr. Amanda Gevens and her team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Plant Pathology are studying seed potato handling and treatment with the goal of offering an improved understanding of seed and early planting parameters to aid in growers’ decision-making. Outcomes of these early decisions foundationally drive potato crop yield and quality. Above, cut seed potatoes are loaded into a planter at Mortenson Bros. Farms, Inc.
unique benefits. Single drop/whole seed generally provides high vigor, increased stem counts, and increased tuber set, while tuber size tends to be uniform due to heavier set and less disease when compared to cut seed.
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Comparative advantages of cut seed include reduced cost by extending stock to meet acreage demands, smaller, more uniform seed pieces, and fewer stem counts with smaller set and larger tubers.
