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Hessisches Ministerium für Umwelt, Klimaschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz
Hesse
Mainzer Straße 80
65189 Wiesbaden
Website: External link to the authority
Development of viable and sustainable approaches to haulm reduction in potato cultivation
In today's potato cultivation, pre-harvest haulm reduction is a standard measure for controlling ripening and thus ensures numerous quality characteristics in addition to storability. The discontinuation of the active ingredient deiquat, combined with the general endeavour to reduce the use of plant protection products in the long term, requires the development of new solutions for haulm reduction. This problem is addressed in the project in order to make potato cultivation in Hesse and beyond in Germany sustainable under the changed agronomic and political framework conditions. The planned project aims to demonstrate alternative methods to standard chemical weed control using deiquat by analysing several methods of weed control. Exact trials as well as field trials on practical farms will be carried out on alternative haulm reduction methods and thus the applicability as well as the influence of these methods on the efficacy and quality of the crop. A technically optimised cutter bar for pre-harvest weed control is also being tested.
The new haulm reduction methods tested (chemical with dropleg, mechanical with double knife bar, as well as the combination with each other) showed differences in siccation performance, but were statistically comparable with the standard methods (chemical with flat jet nozzles and mechanical with haulm topper). In terms of tuber quality, no differences were found between the haulm control methods, demonstrating that the alternative approaches tested were not at a disadvantage compared to the standard methods. In addition, both nine alternative methods have an economic advantage over the standard mechanical/physical haulm reduction methods, which results from the larger working width. These results therefore give reason to continue to technically optimise the tested alternative methods for haulm reduction in potatoes.
Pest/disease control
Rural development 2014-2020
Institut für Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26
35392 Gießen
Phone: 0642/99-37443
Email: Benjamin.Wittkop@agrar.uni-giessen.de
2021
completed
344,684