Potato Grower

32 POTATO GROWER | JULY 2021 Diggin' In Diggin' In Potato growth can be boosted with Omex nutrition packages Power-Packed FERTILIZERS | Industry Report The best agronomists put real store into advising growers of the impor- tance of a "playbook" for potato nutri- tion: what's needed, why and when. So now that we're into the season proper, here's an overview of four products that should feature in your own potato nutrition playbook this year. CELL POWER ZYNERGY Zynergy, a combination of copper, zinc and organic acids, is formulated to enhance bioavail- ability — how easily the potato plant can absorb and utilize the product. Dean Konieczka, consul- tant agronomist for Omex Agrifluids, says Cell Power Zynergy is ideal within an integrated crop management program. "It enhances fungicidal activity," he says, "because copper and zinc play vital roles in the crop's im- mune system. Zinc maintains the integumentary system (comprising epidermis, leaf cuticle and plant hairs). It's the plant's first defense against physical damage and patho- genic attack. High levels of zinc help the plant be quick to suppress disease and exhibit rapid wound healing." Konieczka continues: "Copper is crucial in the production of phenolic compounds, a large group of plant me- tabolites that influence plant growth and defense mechanisms." Research from Nottingham Uni- versity in the United Kingdom shows how Zynergy's formulation enhances bioavailability of these micronutrients. Replicated trials observed how copper and zinc components improved the crop's ability to withstand disease, including late blight. Zynergy was compared against tank- mixed zinc oxide and copper sulfate, and the contact fungicide mancozeb. On a virulent strain of blight intro- duced to inoculated potato leaves, the formulated product outperformed the standard mix of copper and zinc, while both Zynergy and mancozeb held back the infection satisfactorily. Applied to the variety Maris Piper, Zynergy produced a 14.5 percent in- crease in marketable yield when used in conjunction with fluazinam and a foliar feed. "But remember, Zynergy is registered as a fertilizer, not a fungicide," points out Konieczka. "It's an additive, not a substitute, so don't be tempted to cut back on any fungicide programs. Just use Zynergy for the benefits it brings to an integrated crop management system." CELL POWER SIZE N Cell Power Size N enables potato growers to more accurately meet their contract obligations. Its unique nitro- gen formulation is an effective tool to manipulate tuber size and increase marketable yield. A stabilized amine nitrogen (SAN) technology, Size N leverages recent re- search that revealed how plant regula- tory functions are affected by different forms of nitrogen. By using appropriate types of nitrogen at each plant growth stage, growers can use nitrogen more effectively and effi- ciently. Applications of urea amine to po- tato plants results in increased root production, reduced stem elongation, in- creased chlorophyll content and raised chlorophyll levels at bulking. Under typical circumstances, soil bacteria attack urea and prevent uptake by the plant. But Size N contains a chemically stabilized amine that remains available to the plant, in both foliar and soil-ap- plied form. "By compiling a revised fertilizer application featuring SAN, growers can better meet the demands of each mar- ket," says Omex CEO Mike Williams. "For example, making SAN applica- tions early — pre-tuberization — will increase numbers of smaller tubers

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