CU LTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY NPPL participant Martin de Meijer: ’I didn’t want to be faced with all kinds of things that don’t work’ drawbacks. The lighter spots retain moisture and minerals for a shorter time than the heavier ones. This can have consequences for the yield, but it also has an effect, for example, on the amount of crop protection chemicals and fertiliser. When dosing a plot, we always have to compromise. As a result, you apply too much on some parts, enough on others and not enough in other places.’ One of the biggest problems in many of his crops, among which around 50 hectares of ware potatoes, is weed control, says the grower. Participation in the NPPL offered De Meijer the opportunity to look for precision techniques to tackle weed everywhere on the different parts of the plot. Stress of choice ‘But which ones do you choose?’, he asked himself aloud. It already started with mapping the soil. There are various scanners on the market, for rent or for sale. This involves different costs and also questions such as which one is easy to use and produces accurate work? Ultimately, De Meijer chose to use a soil scanner on loan from Van den Borne Aardappelen in Reusel, said NPPL supervisor and technical researcher Jean-Marie Michielsen of the WUR. In order to complete the map and partially test it, soil samples were also taken in the traditional way to determine the correct levels of organic matter and the clay percentages in the various soils. All this was carried out on a plot of 29 hectares adjacent to the farm yard in the Braakmanpolder area near Hoek. In addition, a different field crop sprayer was needed, one that could deal with COMPANY DETAILS ABOUT THE DE MEIJER-HAAK PARTNERSHIP Martin de Meijer, together with his wife Carla Haak, has divided the arable farming activities over two locations with a combined area of 224 hectares. The farms are located in Waterlandkerkje and in the Braakmanpolder area in Hoek. The total cropping plan at both farms comprises around 50 hectares of ware potatoes, 22 hectares of winter wheat, 22 hectares of winter carrots, 22 hectares of sugar beet, 21 hectares of onion sets, 18 hectares of seed onions, 9 hectares of chicory pens, 8 hectares of grass seed, 7 hectares of marrowfat peas and the remaining area is used for field edges and maize and grassland. Potatoes take up the largest area on the farm and have an early and a late crop. The early crop is mainly grown at the farm in Hoek, which has lighter soils, De Meijer explains. Here, the partnership grows approximately 20 hectares of table potatoes every year. This year they cultivated the Solist variety and the yield was sold to Kleinjan’s Potato Trade in Goudswaard. The cultivation of the later French-fry potatoes, Agria and Markies, can usually be found on the heavier, sandy and clay plots around the holding in Waterlandkerkje. He harvests all the potatoes together with a colleague, the total potato area is then around 100 hectares, according to De Meijer. Variable planting and haulm killing Precision technology within the NPPL project for the cultivation of potatoes is used for variable planting and haulm killing. In the meantime, the partnership is already using task maps for the variable spraying of soil herbicides. In the long term, it also wants to start with the variable application of nematicides, about which De Meijer is still consulting a regional contract worker. The partnership has invested a lot in irrigation in recent years. A total of four reels can be run here, if necessary. Sufficient irrigation water is available for this purpose and has – by Zeeland standards – a low EC of 1.2. In Hoek, De Meijer can use water from the nearby drinking water company Evides. This is surface water from Belgium, he says. He has also installed deep drains in various plots for extra water supply via existing (water discharge) drains. Potatoes take up the largest area on Martin de Meijer’s crop farm and he produces early and late crops. He harvests them in collaboration with a colleague. 20 Potato World 2019 • number 4 Pagina 19

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