The vast bulk of 2024 main season potato crops are now in the ground according to Teagasc.
But field work is also continuing in some parts of the country.
Shay Phelan, Teagasc crops specialist, said: “Planting has yet to be completed in parts of North Cork and Wexford.
“But apart from that the job is pretty much wrapped up.
Growers are putting in a range of varieties at the present time including Rooster and salad potatoes.”
According to Phelan, the total area of potatoes grown in 2024 may well be up on last year.
“We won’t know the full picture until we get the official Department of Agriculture figures at the end of June.
“However, growers are very mindful of the fact that potato supplies did run low on the back of last year’s planting levels.
So they may well compensate accordingly in 2024,” he said.
Potato blight
Given the late planting dates this year, the bulk of this year’s main crop potatoes will not be harvested until the end of October.
“If we get Cinderella growing conditions over the next few months we could be looking at a late September digging date in some places,” Phelan said.
But it is the threat posed by new variants of the potato blight fungus that is really exercising the mind of potato specialists at the present time.
The EU43 strain of Phytophora infestans was identified in Ireland last year.
Phelan said: “Controlling this strain of blight and others known to be in the country will require the development of very well planned spraying programme on the part of growers.
“Mixing of different chemistries with different modes of action will be critically important.
“It is also critical that growers do not use products with the same mode of action sequentially.”
He has advised that spraying intervals should be brought down to seven days, not ten days, as would have previously been directed.
“And once a bight programme prevention programme has been initiated, the spraying intervals must be rigorously maintained,” Phelan added.
Previously, EU 43 has wreaked havoc within potato crops grown in Denmark and the Netherlands.
According to the Teagasc potato specialist Denmark was the first country to be impacted in this way.
“Subsequent trial work carried out in that country has confirmed the need to use the widest possible range of fungicide chemistries currently available in the most strategic way possible, in order to manage the threat posed by EU 43.
“Teagasc has compiled an example spray programme for Irish growers, which extends to 14 fungicide mix applications,” he added.