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Know How / Irrigation

Our irrigation page offers advice on how manage water requirements for potato and horticultural crops and also safeguard the environment. Find out more about drip irrigation versus rain guns, methods to cut water wastage and how to control irrigation costs while maintaining yields.

Advice and tips

IRRIGATION

Why potato growers need to be better prepared for drought

Farmers and growers are being urged to plan and manage their use of irrigation this year, as concerns about the effect of continued dry conditions on water supplies mount. The…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How the potato industry can tackle blackleg

Blackleg is a costly disease in potatoes caused by several pectolytic bacteria that have the ability to infect and break down plant tissue, leading to storage losses and crop rejections.…

ARABLE

Irrigation efficiency advice for potato growers

Making efficient use of water this season is likely to become even more crucial for potato growers, with some having already used precious resources irrigating other crops. Water supplies are…

ARABLE

Switching to electricity could cut irrigation costs

Using electricity rather than diesel to power irrigation pumps could cut energy bills in half. Hose reels remain the most popular way of irrigating crops and are used on about…

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Case studies

IRRIGATION

How irrigation is changing on an AHDB potato demo farm

The economic and environmental costs associated with irrigating 440ha of potatoes at AHDB’s Strategic Potato (Spot) Farm North prompted a rethink on the best way to maintain product quality in…

POTATOES

Drip irrigating potatoes promises more crop per drop

Potato growers could get 15% more yield and cut water usage by the same percentage by switching from rain guns to drip irrigation, according to on-farm trial results. That’s what…

ARABLE

Work under way to slash water wastage in potato fields

Tramline compaction is causing potato growers to waste up to 14% of the water falling on their fields, and also risks nutrient and spray pollution into the environment. Water flowing…

ARABLE

Irrigation investment helps salad potato business thrive

Like pouring water on to an expanding sponge, significant investment in its irrigation network has seen impressive growth for OW Wortley & Sons’ Nofolk-based potato enterprise. At peak flow the…

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Insights

IRRIGATION

New crop irrigation system recycles nutrients and water

UK trials of a novel irrigation system which collects, stores and recycles water, and reuses nutrients to enhance crop production, are taking place at Writtle University in Essex. The Irrigation…

ARABLE

Bold plan to manage scarce resources in UK's driest region

A groundbreaking plan for the UK’s most drought stressed region aims to help secure a fair share of water for farmers, businesses and the general public. Not-for-profit organisation Water Resources…

IRRIGATION

Arable Horizons: How farmers can help secure water needs

Water availability for agricultural use is forecast to come under increasing pressure as higher demand and climate change put pressure on supplies. The Adaptation Sub Committee of the Committee on…

POTATOES

Video: Cultivating potato tramlines cuts run-off

Potato growers could slash water use and preserve soils by using a machine to stop water flowing down compacted tramlines. A trial conducted at the Elveden Estate last season as…

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News

NEWS

Sepa warns of summer water abstraction restrictions

Below-average rainfall in May has led to increased water scarcity across Scotland, raising fears of a summer drought and restrictions on abstracting water. Scotland received only 44% of the long-term…

FARM POLICY

Norfolk farmers highlight water worries with Defra minister

Norfolk farmers stressed the vital need for continued access to water to grow arable crops to feed the nation during a visit to the region by Defra secretary Therese Coffey. NFU…

IRRIGATION

Changes to potato irrigation needed, research shows

Radical changes to potato irrigation are required to make more efficient use of water growing the crop, says Katharina Huntenburg, a plant physiologist at Wageningen University. Her PhD on drought…

POTATOES

Potato yields suffer in dry with high storage costs to come

Potato yields are down significantly this season due to the hot, dry spring and early summer weather, and for growers putting spuds into cold storage there is the double whammy…

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Video

POTATOES

Video: Potato planting races ahead in the Suffolk sunshine

Potato planting kicked off this week on one large Suffolk Breckland estate, with high hopes for the early-maturing crop after it went into the ground in ideal conditions. The light…

POTATOES

Video: Cultivating potato tramlines cuts run-off

Potato growers could slash water use and preserve soils by using a machine to stop water flowing down compacted tramlines. A trial conducted at the Elveden Estate last season as…

INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE

Variable rate irrigation cuts costs for NZ grower

Irrigation systems that allow each nozzle to apply variable rates of water according to soil type and moisture deficit are improving New Zealand farmers’ water use efficiency. Irrigation is central…

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