Cultivation risk too high

Wireworm destroys most of the potato harvest

The wireworm bores its way into the potato tubers of Lower Austria and wears farmers down.

(Bild: Landwirtschaftskammer Niederösterreich)

In an already low-yielding potato year, the pest is now hollowing out many agricultural livelihoods. Lorenz Mayr, Vice President of the Chamber of Agriculture, emphasizes the importance of building irrigation systems quickly and that an effective pesticide is finally needed again.

The potato harvest is in full swing. However, it is already apparent that many tubers have been severely damaged by the wireworm. In addition, there are fewer tuber sets this year due to the heat. Due to long dry spells, lower yields were already expected. We now know that many table apples are so badly damaged that they can no longer even be processed as starch potatoes. The consequence and last resort: the biogas plant.

Mayr: "Expand irrigation urgently"
"With this level of damage, only the transportation costs are covered. Farmers are left with the seed, field maintenance over the year and bringing in the harvest," emphasizes Lorenz Mayr, Vice President of the Lower Austrian Chamber of Agriculture.

On top of this, there is also a massive amount of additional personnel work to separate the few potatoes that remain intact from those that are damaged: "That can only be a minus," says Mayr. He refers to a study that shows that drought and heat significantly increase worm infestation: "That's why we urgently need to expand irrigation!" Plant protection products banned by the EU would also be lacking in the food fight.

The risk of losing the harvest to the wireworm and the associated financial losses have become too great for farmers, emphasizes the Vice President, who reports that more and more farmers are giving up potato cultivation.