A NEW water conservation agent has been shown to significantly increase potato yields while reducing irrigation water use by approximately 25%.

These results, which could be worth an extra £1100 per ha, come at a key time for potato growers who may be forced into reducing water consumption on their crops through restrictions that may arise with a shift in emphasis on subsidy payments which will reward 'sustainable' practices.

One farmer who has experienced the benefits of a water conservation agent first hand, is Norfolk-based, Tim Papworth. “We applied the product, H2Flo, to a block of Royal potatoes, mixed with our standard blight spray and left an adjacent block untreated, on a well-drained sandy loam area of one of our farms near North Walsham,” he said.

According to Dr Richard Collins, of ICL, the final digs on the treated plot indicated there was an increase of 11 tonnes, from 61.45 t/ha to 72.63 t/ha, ahead of the untreated crop.

The product contains a blend of surfactants that alter the water surface tension. It increased the spread of water through the soil profile of the treated crop and improved re-wetting of the soil, making it more readily available for the plants.

Dr Collins highlighted additional benefits of the product: “Further testing has proven that H2Flo can reduce the amount of water applications by 25%, saving on water and pumping costs.”

Mr Papworth is planning to put the product to the test again this season on a considerably larger area with multiple varieties of potato. “Given the significant cost to purchase and apply water, at roughly £99/ha metres, I’m really interested to test the water saving benefits.

“We use an average of 0.67 ha metres of water in a normal year, which costs us in the region of £8600, so any saving would be a huge benefit to us and the environment.”