As potato season comes to a close, it’s time to evaluate your crop management program. Harvest is a good time to assess the products you are using, and if they are helping provide the consistent yield you’re hoping for.

We conducted trials at our Ephrata, WA, Grow More^TM Experience site this year to investigate the effectiveness of several treatments. What we saw was the value of both fungicide seed treatments as well as insecticide seed treatments in combination with in-furrow fungicides.

Test fields at the site were inoculated with Rhizoctonia solani, a devastating pathogen that causes weakened plants, stunted growth and yield loss in potatoes. We pulled potatoes from trials and separated them into USDA-standard US No. 1’s (green bin), US No. 2’s (yellow bin), and discards (red bin.) In the comparison above, the bins on the right show Maxim® 4FS seed treatment fungicide paired with Cruiser® 5FS seed treatment insecticide. For our trials, this combination was used as our basic seed treatment, leaving the seed pieces more susceptible to harsh growing conditions and disease presence. While still producing appropriately sized US No. 1’s and No. 2’s, the yield consistency is not present.

The bins on the left show potatoes treated with CruiserMaxx® Potato Extreme fungicide seed treatment in combination with Elatus® in-furrow fungicide, which was our most effective product pairing in this year’s trials. In comparison to our Maxim 4FS and Cruiser 5FS trial, the superior offering of CruiserMaxx Potato Extreme and Elatus produces a high ROI, extracting a strong showing of US. No. 1 potatoes, with little size difference in US No. 2 potatoes.

We can visually see a distinct yield benefit when adding an in-furrow fungicide in combination with a deluxe seed treatment offering. The pairing brings consistency in yield, as these tubers are sized appropriately for US No. 1’s, and extract a lot more usable harvest from fields.

When planning your potato management plan for 2020, contact your Syngenta representative to learn more about treating your seed pieces with CruiserMaxx Potato Extreme and Elatus.

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All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.

Product performance assumes disease presence.

Performance assessments are based upon results or analysis of public information, field observations and/or Syngenta evaluations.