Effect of Floating Row Covers on Russet Burbank Potatoes; Gardening Guidebook for Deschutes County, Oregon

8/9/2019 Effect of Floating Row Covers on Russet Burbank Potatoes; Gardening Guidebook for Deschutes County, Oregon

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EFFECT OF FLOATING ROW COVERS ON RUSSET BURBANK

POTATOES AT REDMOND, OREGON IN 1987

J. Loren Nelson and Steven R. James

Central Oregon Experiment Station

Oregon State University

Redmond, Oregon

ABSTRACT

Number and size of tubers/plot and yield of Russet Burbank

potatoes were evaluated from replicated plots covered the

full season with Agronet and Agryl P 17 at Redmond Oregon

in 1987. Response of non-covered control) and Agronet

covered potatoes were similar. However total tuber yield,

yield of No. 1 tubers yield of 6-12 and > 12 oz. tubers

and average tuber size was significantly lower from Agryl P

17 covered plants compared to the other two treatments. The

covers were not evaluated for control of insects or dis-

eases. Agryl P 17 developed holes by mid-season compared to

none for Agronet. Cover durability is necessary to exclude

insects.

INTRODUCTION

Many different kinds of plastic materials have come into

widespread use in world agriculture to improve yield and/or

quality of vegetables (1). Materials used to cover plants

may be either supported, for example, with metal hoops, or

laid directly on the plants in which case the plants push or

raise the cover during growth. These later covers, called

floating row covers, are very light but some cause high tem-


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cool, short growing season area, to begin data collection of

cover effects on potato growth.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted at Redmond, Oregon on Oregon State

University nuclear VT-SC Russet Burbank potatoes planted May

14, 1987, in rows 36 inches apart. A 19-14-15-06 fertilizer

at 1100 lbs/A was banded at planting. Agronet, a UV stabi-

lized extruded film/net of polypropylene and polyamide, and

Agryl P 17, a nonwoven spunbonded polypropylene material,

were placed on 9 x 30 foot plots on June 2 for comparison to

a non-covered control treatment. The potato plants were be-

ginning to emerge. The three treatments were replicated

four times in a randomized complete block design. Each

cover was 21 feet wide by 40 feet long which allowed for

full potato vine growth without restriction. The covers

were removed for hilling on June 19. Covers on the center

row of plots were removed July 8 and 27 when Metribuzen (.25

lb ai/A) was applied for weed control. No Temik was applied

for insect control except by accident on Agryl P 17 covered

plot in replicate four. Potato plants were dusted with Sevin

for Colorado potato beetle control when needed. The experi-

ment was irrigated as needed. However from July 20-25

nearly 3.5 inches of rain occurred with water standing for

sometime on the plots. Plants in replicate four may have

been adversely affected because this was the low part of the

field and water remained on these plots for a longer time.

Covers were left on plots until shortly before harvest on

October 14. Twenty-five feet of the center row of each plot

was dug for yield, number, and tuber size determinations.

Data were analyzed statistically. Neither plants nor tubers

were tested for virus infection.


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Agronet according to Hemphill (2) and Reed (3). No temper-

ature data were collected in this experiment. However,

there was burning on the margin of many potato leaves two to

three weeks after shoot emergence under Agryl P 17 but none

was observed on leaves under Agronet. Hemphill found that

row covers reduced the number of tubers and total yield for

Norgold potatoes but only Agryl reduced the mean tuber

weight. Reed found substantial reductions for the later

maturing cultivar Butte . He also reports that Hemphill

obtained a slight increase in tuber numbers and total weight

per acre in 1987. Reed hypothesis that covers could be a

positive factor in the cooler portions of Oregon devoted to

seed production. However one year (1987) results on Russet

Burbank potatoes at Redmond did not show this. The sugges-

tion by Hemphill that row covers might be more effectively

utilized on very early plantings with covers removed at the

onset of hot weather appears to be more plausible. Future

research should be conducted to define the benefits of, row

covers for the production of disease free potato seed in the

cool central Oregon region.

REFERENCES

1. Hemphill, Jr., D.D. and N.S. Mansour (Editors). 1987.

Proceedings of the Twentieth National Agricultural

Plastics Congress, August 25-27, 1987. Portland, Ore-

gon. 292 pp.

2.

Hemphill, Jr., D.D. 1987. Floating row covers reduce

virus transmission to potato seed stock.

n Veg-

etable Research at the North Willamette Agricultural

Experiment Station 1985-1986. Oregon State University

Agricultural Experiment Station Special Report 798.


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Effect of Floating Row Covers on Russet Burbank Potatoes; Gardening Guidebook for Deschutes County, Oregon