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diggin’ in up into higher weight categories. “We take some of those 3 1/2-oz potatoes and put them into an over-4-oz category, and they become a portion of that usable yield. And we can take a 5 1/2- oz potato and turn it into a 6-oz and over,” he says. “We just have less un-usables.” Though Clark is hesitant to estimate how much water growers will save, due to the variability of soil type, irrigation systems, length of season and precipitation, he says, “I believe it’ll be conservatively under 10 to 15 percent.” ZEBA ABSORBING BUSINESS Clark says that more and more growers each year are looking at Zeba and the results over the past four years. “[They’re] either going from a trial to a commercial application on a portion of their acres,” he says. Some growers have gone from treating a percentage of their acreage in 2009 to treating a majority of their acres in 2010. They have growers ranging from using Zeba in 25 percent of their acres to first- time customers to 100 percent users. In the Figure 2. Potatoes − Idaho (2009 Summary). next two years, Clark foresees having to add production areas. “We have growth occurring,” he says. Beyond potatoes, Zeba also works for crops such as sugarbeets, onions and dry beans. As a result of all the studies they’ve done, Clark is confident of the benefits this product will bring to growers. “I believe growers are going to be able to distance the irrigation cycles out, not have to irrigate quite so often. The advantage to that would be to dry the crop canopy down from a disease management standpoint, at the end of the season there being some water conservation,” he says. PG www.potatogrower.com 27