Potato Harvester Settings
Robin Bolton, CAFRE Limavady
With potato harvesting season underway, the importance of correct harvester setting to reduce damage to the crop cannot be over emphasised. This was the message from independent Scottish consultant Fraser Milne when he addressed the North East Antrim Potato Challenge group at a workshop organised by CAFRE.
Fraser began by stressing the importance of proper pre- harvest management including successful haulm desiccation or flailing and the importance of test digs to assess the suitability of the crop for harvesting.
Fraser then highlighted the importance of good general maintenance of the harvester and the key areas where damage is most likely to occur:-
- The transfer from the harvester to the box or trailer. To minimise this damage requires good team work between the harvester driver and the trailer driver to allow the elevator to be kept as close to the surface to minimise the drop.
- The share. To minimise damage the share needs to be set properly according to the bed width and at the correct depth. The share also needs to be correctly set in relation to the primary web i.e. level with the web so that the web is not lifting the potato it should slide gently on.
- The Webb. To minimise damage the Webb speed and agitation should be controlled to maintain some soil to the top of the primary Webb to prevent the potatoes rolling back.
- The haulm rollers and cleaning units. Setting these correctly for the conditions will also have a big affect on reducing damage.
Growers were also encouraged to continually monitor the damage levels in the harvested sample by hot boxing to ensure any problems are detected and rectified before further damage occurs.
Growers interested in knowing more about the Potato Challenge can contact Robin on 0774 8967 013 or Stephen Bell on 028 94 426 766
Fraser Milne, Consultant, explaining Harvester settings to members of the North East Antrim Potato Challenge Group