How to Maximize Potato Planting Stands and Yields

Numerous studies have shown that an average potato field, contains 7% missing or misplaced seed placement causing a total loose of production. These errors are more commonly referred to as misses and doubles. This is just the in-row misplacements of skips and doubles, not the row to row errors that are present within the fields from guess row areas. Guess rows can be corrected easily with the addition of assisted GPS steering systems.

What does this mean to you, would you be willing to knowingly throw away $250 per acre in unused inputs? Would you be willing to lose the potential revenue of your lost crop on top of the wasted inputs?

How can these loses be corrected?

Proper seed cutting - Is the start of your planting process and too many is the most neglected. Since cut seed size greatly affects planter performance, plant vigor and end yield of your crop, many potato operations need to spend much more attention on their seed cutting and ensuring their seed cutter in the correct type for the variety and is set-up correctly.
Planter performance and set-up –Whether it’s a cup planter or pick type planter proper performance and upkeep, will ensure that your planter is not causing unforeseen inaccuracies. Ensure ever pick or cup is fully operational. Damaged picks or their release mechanism or damaged or weak cups can also cause misses and doubles greatly reducing accuracy.
Planting Operational Speed – There is a direct link between the speed at which the planter is operated at and the accuracy of the in-row tuber to tuber spacing. Studies show speeds of more then 3 mph, greatly affect the spacing because of varying movement once the seed piece hits the moving ground under the seed unit.

Missing plants, blind and rotten seedpieces, and irregular in-row spacing are costly to Canada’s potato growers; and presumably, to all potato growers. Growers lose money because these stand-establishment issues typically change tuber size profile and reduce yield. Planter skips alone are costing potato growers as much as 11.1% of their seedcost-adjusted gross income.

To ensure you are not leaving money in the field I suggest, you have your equipment maintained correctly, and set-up properly. If you are in doubt I suggest you have a professional set-up and maintain your planting and seed equipment if you are unsure of how to properly set it up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul Smith is the owner of Northern Equipment Solutions and based in Central Ontario, Canada. Providing Quality Potato Equipment, Precision Agriculture and Other Advanced Equipment, Northern Equipment Solutions ensures that your profits and yields are maximized. You can follow the author on twitter @ www.twitter.com/ONTPotatoTech orwww.northernequipment.ca or sales@northernequipment.ca

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Crop Undercount Raises Questions About Reliability of U.S.D.A. Data

The Agriculture Department projected last July that farmers would harvest 86.8 million acres of corn in autumn. The projection was repeatedly revised upward until, in January, the department found 1.3 million more acres of corn — an area larger than Delaware — and concluded that the final amount harvested was 91.3 million acres. “It was a miss. No other way to call it,” said Seth Meyer, who served as the department’s chief economist until leaving in December. The 5 percent undercount may seem small, but it was the department’s worst projection in recent memory. It came as the Trump administration was cutting staff at the Agriculture Department and as President Trump’s trade war raised prices for equipment and hurt exports. Some people in agriculture have become increasingly worried about the reliability of department data. That skepticism could lead to a breakdown of the historically close relationship between the department and farmers it serves, they said. “U.S.D.A. always had a

Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time. “April will go down as one of the wettest on record, and that moisture has helped ease drought conditions for the majority of the state,” said Secretary Naig. “Looking ahead, the forecast trends a bit cooler and drier through the first few weeks of May, which should give farmers a longer window to keep the planters running.” Crop Report There were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 3, 2026, which is 1.0 day more than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent ade

Ten years of Canadian agricultural innovation through EMILI

This year marks the tenth anniversary of EMILI (Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative), the culmination of a group of community leaders working towards a common goal: to grow Canada’s economy, with a specific focus on advancing agtech in the Prairies. Jacqueline Keena, Managing Director, explained that EMILI “is an industry-led non-profit committed to driving agriculture innovation, partnership, and engagement. We provide innovators access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices to increase productivity, sustainability, and profitability across the agriculture and agri-food sector.” At the heart of it all are the partnerships that EMILI cultivates between producers, industry leaders, investors and innovators. These stakeholders work together “to grow a sustainable, economically resilient digital agriculture industry.” This work is done in a number of ways. “We know that Canadian agriculture can lead the world through transformative innovati

This is Agriculture: Field Trial Modernization Scientist

As a field trial modernization scientist at Corteva Agriscience, Dr. Kevin Falk is dedicated to improving the way field scientists work. The lead on Corteva Agriscience’s spray drone trials taking place at EMILI’s Innovation Farms, Falk holds an M.Sc from the University of Manitoba, a Ph.D in Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Agronomy from Iowa State University, and an Advanced RPAS Pilot Certificate from Transport Canada. Here, Falk shares his path to becoming a field scientist, the importance of relationships in building his career, and some keen observations about the digital agriculture industry. Describe your job or product in one sentence. I build digital tools and workflows that help agricultural scientists work faster, smarter, and with better data, including AI models, drone systems, and automation platforms. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in Carman, Manitoba, a town of about 3,000 people that punches way above its weight as an agric

Grain Bin Emergencies Turn Deadly in Seconds, but Training Can Save Lives

Grain entrapment kills within seconds, but a decade-long partnership between CASA and G3 is helping farmers and first responders prevent fatal accidents.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service