If tubers are not turgid when being harvested this can result in bruising

Avoid bruising at potato harvest by managing moisture levels pre-desiccation is the advice from Hutchinsons Root Crop Technical manager, Darryl Shailes, explains the internet site Farminguk. ?Where crops are suffering from a high soil moisture deficits, particularly across eastern areas, but also unusually in the west and north including Scotland, they will need careful management going into the desiccation period pre-harvest to avoid crop damage.? ?If tubers are not turgid when being harvested this can result in bruising, so where needed crops need to be irrigated before burn-down to reduce bruising damage. SMD?s should be in the 30-40mm range at desiccation or flailing wherever possible? says Mr Shailes. ?Prioritising this process will also help as the more susceptible varieties can be dealt with first.? The article continues with comments about the stage of the crop at the moment (the complete article is available below, see the link). SourcesFarminguk, based on Hutchinsons Crop Production SpecialistsThe picture is by daymer.com