The Final 2024 Manitoba Potato Report Reveals ‘A Good Harvest in Most Areas’
From September 30 to October 6, the Canadian province of Manitoba experienced minimal to no rainfall. This helped dry and improve the soil moisture conditions for a good potato harvest in most areas.
On the other hand, the cumulative precipitation from May 1 to October 6 was above the 30-year normal in most potato-growing areas, ranging from 101 to 188% of normal. In the top 0-30 cm zone, soil moisture relative to field capacity became optimal, with a few wet or dry areas.
“Heavy rainfall in the week (September 16-22) led to wet soils in many potato growing areas of the province, and the warm air temperatures led to warm tubers in afternoon harvests. Warm soils with high moisture make the tubers prone to various rots including soft rots, pink rot, and pythium leak,” the Manitoba Potato Report authors revealed on October 10th.
‘Yields Are Average to Better Than Average’
On October 10th, the last Manitoba potato report for the year also showed that harvest in the province was estimated to be about 90% complete, and at various farms, it ranged from 75% to 100%. Many farms were expected to finish harvesting ‘within a few days’ at the time.
“Harvest is complete at many farms. All harvest is expected to finish within the next seven days. Yields are average to better than average in most processing potato crops, that were irrigated. Some wet fields, early or later in the season, did not perform well. Farms have reported gross yields in the range of 350 to over 500 cwt per acre in irrigated processing crop fields,” the Manitoba Potato Report authors added.
Experts said that there were no reports of late blight in Manitoba. “Potato early dying”, caused by Verticillium wilt and black dot, was seen in most fields.
“Some tuber rots in storage have occurred. Soft rots by Pectobacterium, Clostridium, pink rot, and Fusarium dry rot have been recorded. Potato early dying (PED) caused by verticillium wilt and black dot diseases are now more severe with crop maturity and as a result most fields appear desiccated,” the experts explained.
The frost was seen mostly in the western potato-growing areas of Manitoba. According to experts, there was minor frost damage on the tubers which were exposed. The low overnight temperatures helped lower the tuber pulp temperatures being brought into storage.
“Tuber pulp temperatures at harvest were warm in the week of September 13-30, but by October 2nd, the tubers have cooled and this week [e.g. – October 7-12] were even cooler: 7.2 to 11.5 degrees Celsius,” the report concluded.
