Potato Europe 2017 welcomed 10,000 visitors on Thursday, despite the weather.

BASF with 1,4SIGHT

The sprouting inhibitor 1,4SIGHT was admitted for consumption potatoes in the Netherlands during the summer of 2015.

It took a long time before this product was admitted because of a tightening up of the list of demands by the licencing authorities.

The sprout inhibitor contains the active substance 1,4 dimethylnaphtalene. It is a non-formulated product with a pure active substance of up to 100 percent according to the manufacturer. This substance is naturally found in the potato and is responsible for dormancy. Potatoes can be stored without sprouting during the entire season.

BASF has reported that the product lengthens the natural period of dormancy and that the quality of the potato remains unchanged. This finally translates into a better skin quality and fewer bruises and fewer storage losses. The possibility of storing table potatoes at higher temperatures can result in savings in energy costs. Last year, the manufacturer in the Netherlands tested 1,4SIGHT on a practical scale at various locations.

Gebr. Weststrate with MagGrow

The MagGrow crop spray system consists of three different, mutually reinforcing magnets, which can be mounted on the sprayer and the spray arms, respectively.

It does not have movable parts and is easy to mount and maintain. All parts have been tested up to a pressure of 10 bar. The system does not need any electric power. The number of necessary parts depends on the length of the spray boom. A 40 m spray boom requires 8 magnet casings, 80 spray boom casings and 1 jet nozzle adapter per jet nozzle.

Collaboration with Wageningen University has resulted in the system being included in the TCT list for emission reduction measures per 1 July 2017. In a combination of the MagGrow magnetic spray system at a pressure of 3 bar and 75 percent drift reducing nozzles, a 90 percent drift reduction is achieved. In the case of a 95 percent drift reducing nozzle this is 97.5 percent.

Compared to conventional systems, our innovative technique provides better coverage, a better hold, more effective spraying and a drift reduction of over 80 percent. In addition to the superior drift control, the finer drops result in better foliage cover and hold. The MagGrow crop spray system offers the possibility of combining drop sizes of 100-150 μm with more than 80 percent drift reduction.

The system can be mounted on both existing and new field crop sprays or it can be used in the greenhouse with the help of a backpack spray.

The enormous advantages of this technology are higher profitability, higher productivity and improved performance in regard to the environment.

Tolsma Grisnich with 5M temperature sensor/product sensor for bulk storage

Tolsma Grisnich has developed a 5-metre long temperature sensor cable that measures the product temperature everywhere and at different heights in the potato heap.

The purpose of this innovative product feeler is to measure and monitor the temperature differences more accurately. By having more measuring points closer together in the potatoes, their temperature can be better controlled during the storage season. Certainly if it is linked to the climate computer.

A qualitatively better end product can ultimately be delivered with fewer storage losses.

The 5M also contributes to a lower energy usage, because fans and heaters can run for fewer hours.

Another advantage of the 5M cable is that it can be easily rolled out in the various places in the storehouse when the potatoes are being stored.