This year is presenting growers with ideal conditions to apply Fazor in potatoes to control volunteers and reduce sprouting in store, according to potato specialist for Hutchinsons, Darryl Shailes.

Shailes said: “Although some has already been applied, there is plenty of opportunity to use Fazor (maleic hydrazide) in the later planted processing crops. Growers are looking to use this product not just to reduce volunteer potatoes in subsequent crops, but also to suppress sprouting in store. If potatoes are stored between 9-10°C it’s my experience that Fazor will certainly help minimise sprouting right up until Christmas.”

When it comes to optimising the timing of Fazor, Shailes advises growers to make sure that the crop is actively growing and the haulm is mostly green, but with a few of the lower leaves turning yellow and most of the flowers having fallen. He also indicates that the crop should not be stressed by drought, pests, diseases or high temperatures.

He said: “Growers should calculate back at least three and not more than five weeks from their intended burn down date. This allows the chemical sufficient time to be taken up by the leaves and translocated to the tubers where it acts. The optimum timing is five weeks before harvest.”

Andy Leader, principal Biologist for Dow AgroSciences, said: “A foliar application of Fazor in second earlies and maincrop potatoes reduces the viability of small daughter tubers and thus suppresses volunteers developing in the field after harvest. When applied at the right time and under the right conditions, data shows that Fazor will give 75 per cent control or more of potato volunteers in following crops as well as inhibiting sprouting in store.”

Fazor is included in the Assured Produce protocols although it is recommended that growers check with their processor or packer before making an application.

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