Vegetable & Root Crops
Success for sprout suppressant trials Biox-M is now part of the ‘normal toolbox’ for crops destined for the fresh and organic markets, but recent trials in large commercial processing crops on the continent and in the UK have proved highly successful. As the withdrawal of approval for CIPC as a sprout suppressant sinks in, many stores have been treated with Biox-M for the first time this season, with many more doing so in the new season. However, it is essential that growers and store managers gain familiarity with a new product, which requires particular diligence in store and crop management, according to supplier
Juno (Plant Protection) Ltd. Biox-M has been approved for use as a sprout suppressant in the UK since 2012 and has been used on a wide range of British potato varieties with excellent sprout control, the company says. A well-established and highly effective treatment for the control of sprouting of potatoes in store, it is in widespread use in the UK and on the
continent, on crops destined for both fresh and processing markets. For crops destined for fresh and organic markets, it is well understood and in general use – considered as part of the normal toolbox. The processing sector is now learning as much as possible from the 2019 harvest. Trials using Biox-M in large commercial processing crop stores on the continent have proved highly successful, and a significant number of British growers of processing crops have undertaken commercial scale trials with the 2019 crop with excellent results. Attention to detail with store management has been the key. Biox-M is a 100 per cent naturally occurring spearmint oil, extracted from leaves of spearmint (mentha spicata) by steam distillation. It suppresses sprouting in potatoes by causing local necrosis of the bud meri-stem with no visible damage to the skin of the tuber. The product should be applied just before eyes first ‘blink’ – do not wait for sprout development. It is approved for use on organic potato crops, and can be used in multi-use stores. Biox-M is widely used on crops grown for the fresh market, with longevity of control well in excess of normal commercial requirements, and it can be used on processing crops stored at up to 10ºC, thus allowing store managers to address concerns about the development of acrylamide. It has no harvest interval and no MRL, and is applied to stores as a hot fog using existing technology, leaving no residue in buildings or boxes. FG
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