Great Britain: Potato Trials Indicate Minimal Advantage from NUE Products
Independent research conducted by Niab as part of the Cupgra Reference Crop program suggests that nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) products are poorly aligned with the physiological needs of potatoes, offering minimal advantages to the crop.
At the 2023 Cupgra Conference in Cambridge, a scoping exercise aimed to gather insights into growers’ and agronomists’ perspectives on the use of various products in potato cultivation.
The products were categorized by their mode of action, which included nitrification and urease inhibitors, photocatalysts, and biological nitrogen fixers.
During discussions, it became evident that interest in these products is substantial, though opinions on their effectiveness are highly divided, as noted by Dr. Sarah Roberts, a potato research specialist at Niab. She mentioned that some participants view these products as highly promising, while others dismiss them as ineffective or overhyped. This divergence in opinions spurred the decision to include these products in reference crop trials during 2024 and 2025 to provide independent data on their efficacy.
The Reference Crop project is an ongoing field experiment funded by Cupgra, designed to evaluate how different potato varieties respond to varying nitrogen rates and agronomic practices. The data collected helps guide decisions on fertilizer application and crop management strategies.
For the trials, all products were applied according to manufacturer guidelines. Didin was applied before planting alongside ammonium nitrate; BlueN and Vixeran were used when ground cover was at approximately 30–40%; and R-Leaf was applied as a series of four foliar treatments once ground cover exceeded 80%.
Each product was tested with two rates of ammonium nitrate: 90 kg/ha to create nitrogen stress and 220 kg/ha as an optimal level for a determinate variety like Innovator. This protocol was carefully designed to account for variations in how these products are marketed. While some are promoted as supplementary nitrogen sources to enhance standard fertilization programs, others claim to partially replace traditional fertilizer sources. Testing under both low and high nitrogen rates provided the best opportunity to assess their effectiveness across different scenarios.
Fuente: fwi.co.uk
