Successful fertilisation of potato crops – DOMOGRAN® ammonium sulphate fertiliser 

DOMOGRAN® is a coarse crystalline ammonium sulphate in its purest form, which provides robust potato plants and proven higher yields during harvest. DOMOGRAN® fertiliser is loved by potato farmers and has proven effective for generations. By applying ammonium sulphate, you will achieve a stable provision of nitrogen and sulphur for your potatoes, regulate pH levels and minimise the risk of potato scabs, along with numerous other benefits. It provides an abundance of measures and factors that have a positive influence on a high-yielding, high-quality crop from your potato cultivation. An important control variable is undoubtedly having a sustainable, balanced fertiliser that ensures high yields and good quality, not only in the short term. DOMOGRAN® contributes to successful potato cultivation thanks to its reliable effects.  

Benefits and effects of ammonium sulphate as a potato fertiliser 

Sulphur as a quality guarantee 

Absorbing sulphur in the form of sulphate ions promotes the quality of your potatoes. The sulphur contained within this fertiliser is an important building block for amino acids and enzymes, which are essential for the potato's processes.

When signs of sulphur deficiency, such as stunted plant growth or yellowing leaves, start to show, it is already too late to treat the deficiency. By applying a dose of ammonium sulphate at the start, you avoid this risk. Potatoes require a dose of 20 - 50 kg/hectare of sulphur, making it one of the most critical fertiliser requirements, similar to phosphate.

Reduction in pH level 

Potato plants prefer a lightly acidic soil environment throughout their entire growing phase. DOMOGRAN® contains free acids, which reduces the pH level of the soil. DOMOGRAN® fertiliser also releases acidifying protons during the conversion of its ammonium nitrogen ingredients. As a result, nutrients present in the root area, such as phosphate, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, boron and iron, are more readily available to plants. A stable concentration of manganese is particularly important for potatoes. Having a stable soil environment has a positive influence of the vitality of your potato crops. 

Preventing potato scabs 

Thanks to its complex properties, DOMOGRAN® supports optimum potato skin maturity and robustness. A more robust skin - thanks to calcium - provides the potato with a strong resistance to the Streptomyces scabies fungus (the cause of potato scabs). DOMOGRAN® stimulates a very high availability of manganese as a result of its ammonium nutrition and slow nitrification. This helps you to minimise the risk of potato scab appearing, since manganese has a toxic effect on the actinobacterium streptomyces scabies. As such, calcium and manganese both guarantee the superiority of your potato crop.

Optimum potato skin maturity and robustness

Practical tips and uses for DOMOGRAN®  

Application

DOMOGRAN® can be applied widely along the ridge or directly underneath the potato plants. This can be done while pre-forming ridges, before earthing up or by using the CULTAN injection method. 

Advantages of direct fertilisation 

When the fertiliser is placed underneath the tubers, it allows for stable ammonium nutrition. Placing the fertiliser pellets in this way also guarantees that the nutrients are safely accessible by the roots. Furthermore, this method also means that the pH level beneath the potato is lowered only punctually.

Combination

DOMOGRAN® fertiliser can be applied either on its own or in combination with another nitrogen fertiliser. As a farmer, you benefit from its ultimate flexibility and can create the optimum fertiliser plan for your crops. 

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Did you know? The history of potatoes 

The potato conquers Europe 

The first potatoes were brought to the European continent from South America by the Spanish around 1570 AD. But it wasn’t until the mid-17th century that the potato began its victory procession around modern day Europe. The potato orders made by “Old Fritz” (Frederick the Great) in the 18th century are well-renowned. In former Prussia, they established potatoes as a basic foodstuff alongside cereals, to reduce the risk of hunger crises. Potatoes, which are known by many regional nicknames, no longer represented a taste of the exotic to the general public from this point onwards. However, it was a long time before the potato became established, which was primarily down to two fundamental issues. In contrast to the tuber, the plant's epigeous fruits contain a high proportion of poisonous solanine. 

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At the time, the public was not generally aware of this, which meant that the plant's reputation was damaged when people were poisoned after consuming it by mistake. What’s more, potatoes are a member of the nightshade family, and are used to the South American climate and light conditions from where they originate. This made cultivating them in Europe rather laborious in the beginning, resulting in low yields. It required far too many cultivation stages to optimise the yield.

New varieties: Potatoes for all occasions 

New potato varieties are constantly being developed, even today. The effort required is huge and often takes more than 10 years. Farmers care about various different properties in the potato, such as resistance, aesthetic, starch content, taste and frying properties. This is why countless varieties exist today, some of which are no longer produced and have long since been forgotten. Others, however, have stuck around for a long time, and have great names such as the “Bamberger Hörnchen”. It is ultimately down to the farmer to decide which variety to plant based on their intended purpose. If the potatoes are to be processed and eventually used for chips, crisps or to extract starch, they are judged on different criteria than potatoes that are destined for direct consumption.

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