THERE is money to be saved by reducing tillage prior to planting, as well as money to be made by boosted yields for Scotland’s potato producers. 

Adapting systems from a till-all approach to reduced cultivation, could reduce planting costs per ha by up to £30 and also bump up the tonnage per ha by some 30 tonnes. 

Speaking at a meeting of the AHDB Strategic Potato Farm Programme (SPot project) at Bruce Farms’ Hallyards unit near Meigle, Perthshire, AHDB Potatoes' knowledge transfer specialist, Claire Hodge, said the group wanted to take research and put it into commercial practice, and that the results were 'very exciting'.

“We started looking at the cost changes we were going to make and whether they were actually going to make a difference in terms of pounds per tonne,” explained Ms Hodge, who facilitated the SPot project. “But the replication and science behind it sits in the work that has got us to this place and it’s the commercial practice that ends up in pound notes.”

The eight, one-acre trial sites varied from standard farm practice of 12-inch bed-form, bed-till and de-stone depths to reduced tillage and de-stoning, and were conducted on a commercial basis, with crop taken straight to the factory to be graded, giving an unbiased and accurate yield. 

By introducing a no-till practise and de-stoning to a depth of 10-inches (option seven), planting costs were reduced from £93.31 per ha to £64.93 thanks to a major reduction in labour costs as well as a reduction in diesel. This trial also produced the highest returns with 41 tonnes per ha, 11 tonnes more than the 'standard' method. Furthermore, it also resulted in one of the highest packout figures of 82.05%. 

“I wouldn’t say we waited for the right conditions to plant but were definitely later than other years,” pointed out farm manager at Bruce Farms, Kerr Howatson, who said the 2016 trial plots were planted on May 11, compared to mid-April. “These trials demonstrate that zero bed-tilling and reduced de-stoning return the lowest planting costs and the highest packed yield which have a positive effect on the bottom line. This research gives the industry confidence to alter future farm practise.”

Putting the trials in to further use this year, three cultivation techniques will be followed to see what difference it makes to cultivation costs and yields in less favourable years. The team at Bruce Farms will stick to the farm standard and the best performing no-till option seven, as well as option five, which sees bed-forming and de-stoning remain at 12-inch while bed-tilling falls to 6-inches. This option resulted in cultivation costs of £81.97 and a yield of 36 tonnes per ha during the 2016 trial. 

Ms Hodge added: “The packers are so valuable as we know how many green tips, splits, etc, there were in each trial so all matches up with reduced waste and improved yields. It’s a case of fine tuning as we go, but what we’re trying to do is move from 'very good' to 'best practice'. It’s about the guy in the cab, too – we want to get the message all the way down the line.”

Moving forward to the 2017 crop and they intend to further investigate the impact of cultivation, as well as a look at cover crops and the improvements to soil structure and moisture they make. Likewise, the SPot team will take a look at seed spacing and handling and nutrition in an attempt to reduce nitrogen inputs, whilst sustaining quality and yield. 

  •  There will be an open day at Bruce Farms on July 18, where growers will be able to see these trials in practise.