This buyers' guide appears in the March 2021 issue of Potato Grower.
The outside observer may think farming is as simple as throwing some seed in the ground, watering it once in a while, and waiting for something to grow. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth. Even barring disease and drought, it takes a lot to produce a successful crop of potatoes.
Below, you’ll find much of the latest technology in growth promotion for potatoes.
Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your state or local extension service to ensure registration status.
Nutrien
CAN17 Liquid Fertilizer
Nutrien Calcium Ammonium Nitrate, also known as CAN17, is a powerful, fast-acting fertilizer containing two forms of nitrogen for a quick response plus sustained feeding. CAN17 is a clear, stable, non-pressurized, odorless liquid that’s simple to store and apply to a variety of crops.
The 11.6 percent nitrate nitrogen in Nutrien CAN17 provides quick uptake and improved plant response, while the 5.4 percent ammonic nitrogen gives sustained plant feeding. It meets the nitrogen requirements for potatoes during key growth periods. The ability to water-run also allows for effective nitrogen management.
CAN17’s 8.8 percent soluble calcium improves water penetration, allowing available nitrogen and moisture to move easily into the root zone and solidifying proper cell division, cell wall strength and fewer tuber disorders. The calcium in CAN17 helps improve storage life.
CAN17 can be sprayed on the soil surface, injected into the soil, or applied through sprinkler, mister, drip or surface water irrigation systems.
CHS Agronomy
(800) 328-6539
Levesol Zn
Levesol Zn is a zinc solution chelated with the ortho-ortho EDDHA enzyme and designed to significantly enhance nutrient availability when applied with liquid starter fertilizers. Levesol Zn increases the length of time zinc is available to the plant. It allows zinc, phosphorus and other micronutrients already present in the soil to be more available for plant uptake and enhances nutrient availability, speed of emergence, overall plant health and yield.
Drexel Chemical Company
X-NBPT Nitrogen Stabilizer
.jpg)
X-NBPT is a nitrogen stabilizer formulated to slow the conversion of urea to potatoes’ available nitrogen, thereby reducing nitrogen loss due to volatilization. It achieves this by inhibiting specific parts of the nitrogen cycle that lead to nitrogen loss.
X-NBPT has flexible application timing. It is recommended for surface pre-plant, pre-emergence, side-dress, top-dress, broadcast or post-planting application. It also offers increased efficiency of nitrogen application. X-NBPT has shown great potential to increase crop yield and quality.
Westbridge Agricultural Products
(800) 599-8855
Soil TRIGGRR & Foliar TRIGGRR
Soil TRIGGRR and Foliar TRIGGRR are liquid plant growth regulators containing natural plant extracts. They provide plants with the energy boost they need by increasing photosynthesis, which leads to enhanced nutrient and water uptake and a stronger root system. Soil TRIGGRR and Foliar TRIGGRR work in combination with Westbridge’s Organic BioLink Nutritional Program to promote good root development, improve seedling vigor, and control tuber size and uniformity. The program enhances starter and pre-plant fertilizer efficiency and increases tuber specific gravity. Enhanced fertilizer efficiency may lengthen the growing season and increase starch deposition.
When applied at key times during the growing cycle, Soil TRIGGRR and Foliar TRIGGRR, along with the Organic BioLink Nutritional Program, can improve potato grade and increase yield.
OMEX USA
(559) 661-6138
SulpHomex Ultra
Sulphomex Ultra is a co-formulation of sulfate—for immediate root absorption and use within the plant—and nitrate, the form of nitrogen most readily absorbed by plants.
Integrated into early-season insecticide and fungicide sprays, SulpHomex Ultra will not only build sulfur content within the plant, but also provide a potato crop with a different mode of suppressive action, building the foundation for a healthy, high-yielding and disease-free crop.
Bio Huma Netics
www.bhn.us
Max Pak
Huma Gro Max Pak is a liquid micronutrient formulation containing a carbon-complexed, highly stable source of many important micronutrients. Max Pak is leaf-friendly, salt-buffered and formulated with Micro Carbon Technology to ensure maximum uptake and translocation of nutrients.
Super Phos
Huma Gro Super Phos carbon-complexed with Micro Carbon Technology can be foliar-applied, according to label directions, without the risk of phytotoxicity. When soil-applied, it keeps phosphate available and soluble in the soil solution for rapid uptake by plant roots without being blocked by clays, metal ions or organic matter. Phosphate encourages the production of amino acids, proteins,and carbohydrates necessary for cellular division.
Breakout
Huma Gro’s plant growth manager, Breakout complexed with Micro Carbon Technology is designed to stimulate the natural production of auxin and cytokinin type hormones within the plant. Additionally, Breakout enhances bud initiation, flowering and fruit set through the activation of amino acids, vitamins and phosphorus transportation toward the root and shoots of the plant. When applied to soils, Breakout is an effective fibrous root stimulant that enhances root mass.
Vitol
Vitol stimulates the natural production of gibberellins within the plant for vegetative development and fruit sizing. It increases the energy output of the plant, which helps move it smoothly through its growth stages. It also improves plant recovery from environmental stresses during peak crop demand periods. When soil applied, Vitol acts as a root stimulant, which elongates root growth that is critical in tap root crops.
Anuvia Plant Nutrients
(352) 720-7070
SymTRX
Anuvia products, including SymTRX for agricultural applications, stand out because of their ability to help farmers increase productivity as well as the far-reaching environmental benefits, including improving soil quality, reducing nutrient loss and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Research and extensive use indicates a positive yield increase, which allows farmers to produce more food in a less intensive manner. Anuvia’s innovative products address a key issue of our time—how to meet future food demand in a sustainable manner.
Anuvia products offer benefits for both end users and the planet with little to no barriers to implementation. Anuvia’s plant nutrient products are a plug-and-play technology primed for fast adoption. Their products work within current user practices and technologies, making their use a turnkey part of achieving sustainable goals.
Brookside Agra
(618) 628-8300
H2OExcel
H2OExcel is a 100 percent biodegradable, proprietary blend of desert plant extracts; high-quality, humic acid-containing biologicals; and other natural, non-plant derived nutrient enhancers. Highly efficient, H2OExcel can change the polarity of water and soil to increase biological activity, interact with soil capillarity pressure, and defend against dehydration of both the soil and plants by keeping water available deeper within the soil profile. H2OExcel also helps to increase available nutrients and balance the amount of water within the root zone of growing plants by supercharging biological activity.
H2OExcel, which can be blended with fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, is safe for use on crops, landscaping, lawns, trees, vegetable gardens and other vegetation. Its product ingredients are on the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) list, which is approved by both the FDA and AAFCO.
Groundwork BioAg
(888) 964-0685
Rootella Mycorrhizal Inoculants
Groundwork BioAg, Ltd. produces effective mycorrhizal inoculants for commercial agriculture. Natural mycorrhizal fungi improve soil nutrient uptake in 90 percent of all plant species. When applied to agriculture, mycorrhizal inoculants increase crop yields, especially under stress conditions.
Each Rootella product is formulated to accommodate specific cultivation methods. The different products cover a vast variety of crops, from seed treatment and in-furrow applications for row crops and specialty crops, to nursery and transplantation applications for vegetables and trees.
Growers using Rotella products may reduce fertilizer application rates, notably phosphorus. Groundwork BioAg’s uniquely vigorous and highly concentrated Rootella products have demonstrated impressive field trial results in several major crops, such as corn, soybean, lentil, bean, tomato, pepper, onion and potato. Rootella inoculants are currently registered and sold in several territories (including the U.S.) and are suitable for organic farming.
Simplot
(208) 336-2110
Tolero
Tolero is an irrigation injection surfactant that increases soil water availability and improves soil’s water-holding capacity. Tolero conserves water with a unique blend of water management technologies that help disperse and hold water in the root zone. It increases water availability in the root zone for up to weeks, improves water retention to help minimize potential crop stress, and reduces irrigation duration and increases intervals between watering.
Nexia-G
Nexia-G is a granular blend of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria formulated to enhance fertilizer applications. These bacteria live in the rhizosphere, the area in and around the plant roots, producing metabolites that improve soil, enhancing plant growth and health. Nexia-G is a microbial innoculant for granular fertilizer that enhances plant health on a wide range of crops, including potatoes, and improves root architecture, which leads to improved early plant growth.
AgroLiquid
Pro-Germinator
Plant-available phosphorus is important for more and larger tubers. Pro-Germinator, through proprietary manufacturing technology, contains both ortho-phosphate and carbon-protected polymer phosphate to provide both readily available and controlled-release phosphorus with minimal danger of tie-up in the soil. This controlled release of nutrients provides needed nutrients at planting, hook stage, tuber initiation, and on through flowering and bulking. Pro-Germinator is used primarily for the application of phosphorus but also includes nitrogen, potassium and micronutrients for maximum performance.
Kalibrate
Potatoes use more potassium than any other nutrient. Potassium is required for nutrient movement in the potato plant. It is essential for the makeup of over 40 different enzymes and is involved in more than 60 different enzyme systems in plants. Potassium is also important in the formation of sugars and starches in plants. In potatoes, potassium influences tuber size, specific gravity, blackspot bruise susceptibility, after-cooking darkening, sugar content, fry color and storage quality. Kalibrate is a highly efficient carbon-chelated liquid potassium that, when applied at planting or side-dress, is taken up from the soil along the length of young, fibrous roots. Potassium is transported in all directions among plant organs in response to metabolic demand. Kalibrate also contains 6 percent sulfur, another essential nutrient for potatoes.
Midwestern BioAg
(800) 327-6012
TerraNu
TerraNu is a granulated carbon-based fertilizer that increases crop performance by stimulating soil biology and increasing nutrient uptake. The product’s innovation allows for the combination of rapidly available carbon, highly soluble and sulfate-based nutrients to be offered in every homogenized granule, enhancing nutrient availability for crop uptake.
TerraNu is available in three unique formulations to ensure a perfect fit in every grower’s fertilizer program: a micronutrient package (TerraNu MicroPack); an NPK plus micronutrient package (TerraNu Ignite); and a boron, calcium and sulfur offering (TerraNu Calcium).
Michigan State University studies conducted in 2019 confirmed that TerraNu Calcium produced the following:
- 26 percent increase in Grade A potatoes;
- 35-hundredweight-per acre yield increase; and
- 13 to 21 percent less sucrose than potatoes that received the control, ground gypsum, pelletized gypsum or liquid/dry gypsum blend treatments.