b'ADVICE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTSWhat About Sustainability in Storage? BILL ORRCanada technical representative1, 4 Group14group.comOVER BEER WITH A buddy a couplecarbon storage sinks. can we ultimately prove steps forward. nights ago, the conversation turned toDuring potatoes 150, 250 or more-dayThird, we need to invest in storage design. sustainability improvements hed trialledstorage season, potatoes are entirely anImproved storage buildings, more energy last year: notable changes includingemissions negative. On top of requiringefficient heating and ventilation systems, updating his 4R nutrient management,energy input for storage climate control,and cleaner fogging systems can all make tank-mixing to reduce an in-crop passpotatoes release C0 2as they respire.meaningful sustainability differences. and increasing irrigation efficiency.Processors, retailers, the general publicFinally, we need more fully to consider the Being a storage guy, I asked: Whatand governments are demanding moresustainability of current storage products. about sustainability in storage? Hissustainability across all parts of production. Our industry remains heavily reliant on response is one I hear often when I bringSince its always better to shape the narrativeCIPC, a 60 plus year old conventional up the importance of what I call secondthan be told the lines, I suggest we tacklechemical technology. Dormancy enhancer season sustainability. He looked at mechange now. 1,4SIGHT not only offers high efficacy kind of surprised and said, What aboutFirst, we need to name storage what itand key production benefits, it offers major sustainability in storage?is: storage season. Stored tubers shift andsustainability benefits too. Whereas CIPC During potatoes 90- to 120-day growingchange, respire and sweat, shrink, andis an herbicide that stays on a potato as season, potato productions greenhousesprout. Good management doesnt end atparticles, 1,4SIGHT is a biocontrol vapour gas and carbon footprint partially offsetsbin close-up, so our efforts at sustainabilitythat naturally volatilizes away over time. itself. The primary emissions are farmcant end at harvest.Unlike CIPC, 1,4SIGHT doesnt carry equipments exhaust, plus the production,Second, we need to capture a storagestorage or environmental contamination transportation, and off-gassing of fertilizer.emissions baseline. Currently, we knowconcerns. And 1,4SIGHT does more than However, growing potato plants absorbpotato storage is a net negative, but we dontsimply controlling sprouting: it slows tubers significant C0 2 , and potato fields operate ashave the data to calculate real numbers, norrespiration, decreasing the release of C0 2 . Weather or Not? Crop Success Lies in Investigative ActionGREG PATTERSON CEO and founderA&L Canada Laboratoriesalcanada.comMANY GROWERS ATTRIBUTETest your soilRegardless of how yourresultsUnlike soil samples, which almost everything to weather. Ivefield may appear, its crucial to conduct acategorize nutrient levels as low, medium personally stood in fields, carefullysoil sample in the fall. We strongly believeor high, tissue sample results work in the examining a crop and preparing to offer myin implementing a comprehensive soilopposite manner. Its not uncommon for insights on possible issues or problems, onlysampling program that focuses on specificme to get calls from growers who question to be confidently told that the weather isareas of a field. This meticulous approachtheir tissue sample results, which reveal low to blame. enables us to gain a profound understandingnutrient levels across the board, despite the While this is happening, Im observingof the fields variability, allowing us tofield boasting the best crops theyve ever the neighbouring field flourishing with aaddress quality concerns, disease threats andcultivated. I explain to them that each blue healthy crop. The rain clouds obviouslypest pressures. bar graph representing a nutrient acts as didnt halt at the fence line, indicating thatRegular tissue testing is paramount a fuel gauge for that specific element. The something entirely different was occurringWe have implemented a robust Plantlarger the crop, the more rapidly it depletes in these two fields. Its a situation thatMonitoring Program that continuouslythose vital nutrients. could potentially be rectified or preventedtracks the progress of crops throughoutWhen a field is flourishing, tissue sample if only we dedicate the time and effort tothe growing season. By doing so, we createresults showing low nutrient levels might investigate. vital benchmarks for the entire field. Bybe a little counterintuitive. Your crop is Let me emphasize what you can do atconsistently monitoring these points, wesimply signaling its heightened nutritional this time of year to ensure youre well- can anticipate potential issues and adapt ourneeds, urging you to provide the essential prepared and poised for success, regardlessstrategies to ensure optimal results. nourishment it craves for optimal growth of unpredictable weather. Avoid misinterpreting tissue sampleand success.38SPUDSMART.COMSummer 2023'