Bayer Program Brings Sustainable Potato Production Systems to Africa

Bayer presented challenges and best practice experience with the implantation of its Roots2Success concept on the continent, during the African Potato Association congress in Kigali, Rwanda.

The holistic concept supports sustainable production systems covering crop rotation, soil preparation, catch and cover crops and the use of the crop protection products like Emesto, Velum, and Serenade from the Bayer portfolio.

The 4-year experience with Bayer’s smallholder project in Kenya underpinned the success of the Root2Success concept: farmer yields increased by a factor of 2 to 4. Farmer income increased by factors ranging from 3 to 10.

African farmers grow potatoes in narrow rotations, due to economic pressure and the lack of alternative cash crop. This environment contributes to the development of soil-borne pests and diseases, and farmers face serious yield and quality losses. Soil diseases caused by Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Streptomyces, and Ralstonia are an increasing problem, amplified by the presence of nematodes such as Meloidogyne, Globodera andPratylenchus spp. In addition, some soil diseases and nematode species transmit viruses as well (Tobacco Rattle Virus, Potato Mop-Top Virus).

Tailored agronomic solutions with innovative crop protection products and services can help control soil diseases and nematodes, effectively increasing sustainability in potato production.

Bayer’s root health strategy, Root2Succes, which includes intensive training programs, offers growers insight into the biology of healthy, high performing roots and targets key challenges that threaten root health, to maintain or optimize root functionality in vegetables and potatoes. The concept aims to improve the resilience of the root system by optimizing cropping systems and application technologies of crop protection products, improving pest and disease control and activation of the plants own defense machinery.