It’s going to be a potato harvest with plenty of clods…
It’s going to be a potato harvest with plenty of clods…
Throughout last spring we were dealing with historically poor soil structure in Western Europe, with clods as hard as concrete. Will harvests of potato and onion reflect this? The chances of that seem high, so what can you do to keep clods out of your storage?
The structure of the soil was certainly poor this year, thanks to a wet winter and early spring, followed by extremely drying weather conditions. Many parcels had to be irrigated prior to sowing and planting. Terms such as 'a load of shingle', 'war on clay' and 'clods as hard as concrete' were heard daily and suppliers of diesel oil and power-harrow tines benefited from rocketing sales figures.
The major question now is whether the poor soil structure will again cause problems during harvesting. Have the clods weathered sufficiently in the last few months, or will they still have a major impact on potato quality?
Clods increase storage loss
It is essential that clods are not taken into the storage facility together with the potatoes or onions if optimal storage is to be achieved. This is because clods may cause damage to the product, which will create unwanted dehydration. This in turn leads directly to storage loss.
To avoid this storage loss as much as possible, it is essential that the clods are separated from the product, and the Samro clod and stone separator is the ideal machine for this.
Would you like to hire a clod separator?
If you would like to know more about the use of the Samro, please contact one of our storage advisors.