Pre-sprouting fresh potatoes
A uniform, early harvest
Pre-sprouting, chitting can achieve a growth advantage of 10-14 days
Benefits
- A uniform crop that quickly develops a dense canopy is less affected by drought or excessive rainfall.
- Late varieties that reach the market early can achieve a good price. For example, the early Agria.
- Pre-sprouting means the mother tuber is exhausted sooner. A marketable crop that still contains mother tubers cannot be sold.
- Pre-sprouting can be used to partially control the number of tubers. Tips and advice are given below.
- Environmentally friendly cultivation is easier. Rapid growth quickly results in a crop with a dense canopy. This minimises the weed pressure. Practical experience has shown that growing table potatoes with no, or a bare minimum of, herbicides is possible.
- An early harvest spreads the workload better and lowers the harvesting risk. Better quality is possible with an early crop.
- There are more potential harvest days and the crop can be lifted under better conditions.
- An earlier harvest creates more time to sow a green manure or apply fertiliser.
Advisory calendar
fresh potoes
ALL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FOR AVERAGE CONDITIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS.
BECAUSE WE HAVE NO INFLUENCE ON SEED QUALITY, WEATHER, BUILDINGS, MACHINERY AND OPERATOR EXPERTISE WE CANNOT ACCEPT ANY LIABILITY FOR RESULTS.
Pre-sprouting
in a shed
An insulated shed with plenty of natural draught is the best option. Ensure there are doors or shutters in the shed that can be opened. The wind and sunlight ensure good hardening off results. Close the doors and shutters if there is a risk of frost.
Advice*
- Cooling
Grade early and store in a mechanical cooling shed. Air cooling is usually sufficient for slow sprouting varieties such as Agria. A small top sprout is positive, but it must still be removed to produce more sprouts. - Top sprout
With most varieties, the top sprout must be removed to produce more sprouts and more tubers. - Warming
If the seed potatoes are very cold and/or it is late in the season, it is a good idea to warm the seed potatoes. In practice, this is usually done at a temperature of 18°-20°C for 3-5 days. Continue heating until the white sprouting tips appear. Then stop heating immediately. Ensure there is enough oxygen in the room. - Cutting
Cutting long seed potatoes and pre-sprouting is possible.
Read cutting and pre-sprouting for more information. - De-sprouting
Break off the top sprout to produce more sprouts and more tubers. Break off the top shoot via the chute or on the transport belt. Fill the pre-sprouting bags in the same operation. - Cold treatment
Good practical experience has been gained by placing filled pre-sprouting racks in a cool, dark (2.5°C) place for another 7-10 days. This stimulates the number of sprouts and higher yields from your seed potatoes. - Hardening off
Indoors: an insulated shed with plenty of natural draught is the best option. Ensure there are doors or shutters in the shed that can be opened.
Outdoors: this gives the best hardening off results.
– Place the pre-sprouting racks in the windiest position in your yard.
– Place the racks 1 m apart.
– Place the racks in a north-south direction if possible.
– The warmest wind blows from the south. The sunlight reaches both sides of the bag.
– Move the pre-sprouting racks indoors if there is a risk of frost. No sprout inhibitors have been used here. Ensure maximum ventilation. Use indoor ventilation if necessary. Move the pre-sprouting racks outdoors as soon as possible. - Transfer to another bag
Transfer to another bag is not necessary if the seed potatoes are placed in the pre-sprouting bags in weeks 8-9. With a late spring, the leaves on the trees around your farm can inhibit the wind from the end of April. Place the pre-sprouting racks in another windy place if possible. - Hardening off time
At least 5 weeks. After that, the longer the better, provided that the pre-sprouting bags are fully exposed to the wind and sunlight. - Which pre-sprouting bag?
Standard pre-sprouting bag (10 cm cord). Capacity 100 kg per bag. Rain covers are not necessary if hardening off takes place indoors. A rain cover is recommended if hardening off takes place outdoors. - Bags per rack
14 standard bags per Sprinter2 pre-sprouting rack.
Stacking
indoors
Stacking 3-high in a shed.
A stack of 3 pre-sprouting racks is 4,200 kg.
unloading
in planter
The planter can be filled quickly.
Unfasten the Velcro.
The drop height is low.
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