How To Weed Potato Lands

This article focused on the best way to apply herbicides and eradicate weeds with the minimum risk to potato crops.

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40YEARS AGO

This article focused on the best way to apply herbicides and eradicate weeds with the minimum risk to potato crops.

Weeds act as a source of infection by eelworms, root diseases, virus diseases and insect pests.

Great problems are caused when potatoes are grown on lands infested with nutgrass and quickgrass, because the rhizomes grow through the tubers, causing decay.

Mr T Duvenhage, weed scientist with the National Potato Work Team at Roodeplaat, says the spraying of the potato crop against fungus diseases and insects is often ineffective because of interception by the weeds. He adds, too, that weed growth creates considerable problems when potatoes are mechanically harvested. Generally, potato lands are thoroughly ploughed before planting, which helps to control existing weeds.

“To give the potatoes an initial advantage over the weeds, the soil should again be thoroughly loosened just before planting, especially between the rows and where nutgrass occurs,” says Duvenhage.