Potato trial at Van den Borne Aardappelen

On the 22nd of April we established a potato trial in a field of Van den Borne Aardappelen located in Reusel, Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. In the trial with 120 experiment plots we will study how planting depth, planting date, dry matter content and seed potato origin affects potato growth and development. The implementation of the trial was a joint effort of BSc, MSc and PhD students of PPS and the farmer.

Different measurements will be conducted during the growing season to monitor crop growth and development. The measurement data will be compared with results obtained in a similar trial that was conducted last year. With the multiple year trial we hope to answer specific questions raised by the farmer with regard to the source and storage of the seed potatoes he is using 

Van den Borne Aardappelen cultivates about 500 ha of potatoes every year for the French fries industry. An unique feature of this farm is the widespread application of high-tech precision agriculture techniques as a way to adjust management to the variability observed within fields. The resulting availability of data from those techniques makes this farm ideal for collaborating with different research groups, including PPS. Through the collaboration, PPS eventually aims to gain a better understanding about the yield potential at farm level.