The struggle with weeds in potatoes in the EU is becoming more difficult due to the abandonment of metiram.

After the EU's refusal to extend the approval period for metiram, the active substance that has so far been predominantly used in potato cultivation, chemical weed control, especially after emergence, will become significantly more difficult. This is stated by Dr. Rolf Peters, as reported by DLG. However, the use of mechanical crop care measures is associated with an increased risk of damaging roots and stolons, especially after emergence, which can negatively affect plant growth. Furthermore, problems related to potato ridge cultivation become apparent. This is due to the fact that the tools for cultivation must easily adapt to the aforementioned variety of ridge shapes in order to achieve the desired shape and structure while minimizing plant damage. "This may be one of the reasons why the development pace of mechanized potato cultivation is currently significantly lower than that of other arable crops, such as sugar beets or vegetables. In addition, the distances between plants ...