How to properly and safely process potatoes with Prestige before planting?

According to statistics, about 60% of the potato crop on private plantations is lost due to its defeat by all kinds of diseases and pests. This situation is forcing an increasing number of gardeners to look for ways to protect the popular nightshade crop and preserve the future harvest. The maximum effect can be achieved by treating seed or planting material with special preparations. One of these drugs today is "Prestige", which causes a lot of controversy among gardeners about the balance between the benefits and harms of the substances that make up its composition. How to properly process potatoes with Prestige before planting? And are the fears of summer residents about the possible danger of the drug to health justified?

Composition and action of the drug

"Prestige" is used for pre-planting potatoes to protect them from diseases and pests. That is, it has a double effect: insecticidal (fighting insects) and fungicidal (fighting fungal diseases).

The tool is able to protect the crop from ground and soil pests, such as:

• bear;
• Colorado beetle;
• leafhoppers;
• aphid;
• fleas;
• thrips;
• wireworm;
• midges;
• May beetle (larvae).

Also, the action of "Prestige" is directed against the causative agents of various diseases, primarily fungal, such as:

• powdery mildew;
• mold;
• rot;
• brown rust;
• scab;
• septoria.

In addition, the dressing agent has a pronounced anti-stress effect: the potato after it rises noticeably faster, grows and develops, actively forms strong shoots, is less afraid of temperature extremes, heat, lack of light and moisture, and gives a greater yield. At the same time, the share of tubers with an attractive presentation also increases, which is important if the crop is grown for the purpose of further sale.

What is the reason for this effect? It is based on two main active ingredients - the pesticide pencycuron and the insecticide imidacloprid.

If you treat potatoes before planting with Prestige, a kind of protective field of active substances is formed in the soil around the tubers under the influence of soil moisture. They are absorbed by the root system already from the soil and are evenly distributed throughout the plant. The result is that the crop is protected from pests and diseases for a long time.

Disputes about the dangers of "Prestige"

Is it harmful to process potatoes with this drug? From the point of view of protection from all sorts of problems with diseases or insects, it is definitely useful (that is, effective). But there is no unequivocal opinion about whether chemicals accumulate inside the tubers and how long they are removed from them. So, manufacturers (who, of course, benefit from that their products are in demand among potential buyers) indicate that after treatment, the active substances inside the tubers remain for 2 months, after which they break down into components that are safe for our health and are gradually removed. In this case, the protective effect lasts up to 40 days.

The instructions for the drug say that it is a substance of class 3 toxicity (that is, moderately hazardous). But at the same time, after 90-120 days (which on average is the growing season of potatoes), toxic components are completely removed from the plants, and you can safely eat the tubers without fear of the consequences. Even young potatoes, according to manufacturers, can be consumed 53 days after processing.

However, studies carried out in European countries that are members of the European Union give other, not so harmless results. According to them, imidocloprid disintegrates in about 80-200 days (this depends on various factors). That is, it remains in tubers for up to 7 months! Hence it follows that it is not safe to process early potato varieties with this dressing agent. Anyway, it is worth thinking about the balance of benefits and harms. Moreover, for the entire growing season, Prestige does not give one hundred percent protection: additional treatments with other drugs will be needed after the declared 40 days (and according to the reviews of gardeners who used Prestige, this period is often much shorter). The most pronounced effect will be only during the first few weeks. Then it gradually decreases, potato plantings can be attacked by pests or an outbreak of diseases.

In addition, do not discount that the cost of the treater is quite high (about 400 rubles and more per package). Often the price is the decisive factor when choosing a disinfectant. More often this drug is purchased for use on large volumes (for example, farms).

Do not eat young potatoes processed by Prestige: many gardeners note that it has a strange taste, and after cooking it darkens after a while. That is, harmful chemicals from it have not yet had time to be removed. Therefore, it is prudent to use the tubers only after the end of the potato growing season.

How to process planting material?

If, nevertheless, the choice is made in favor of "Prestige", then the planting material can be processed with it both in advance (2-3 weeks before planting the potatoes), and immediately before planting in the ground.

In the first case, the treated tubers remain for further germination, and if it is necessary to transport the pickled planting material, it is produced only in hermetically sealed bags or bags in order to eliminate the risk of negative effects of chemicals on the environment.

In the second, potatoes can be planted on the day of processing, but only after the tubers are well dry, otherwise the solution will not be absorbed into the tubers, and after planting it will immediately go into the soil. This greatly reduces the effectiveness of the chemical.

In order for the processing to proceed correctly, the potatoes must first be sorted out, removing the spoiled and damaged potatoes (since the drug will not cure them or "resurrect" them), and then dry thoroughly, spread out freely on a film, and spray abundantly and evenly with the solution. It is prepared in a ratio of 1:20, that is, for 10 ml of "Prestige" - 200 ml of water (volume for 10 kg of potato tubers). Thus, it is not difficult to calculate the ratio of the disinfectant to the water for more or less tubers.

Prepare a working solution immediately before use, preventing its storage in a prepared form.

If the planting is not large-scale (for example, planting a new variety for testing), it is more expedient to place the potatoes in a bag or net and simply dip them into the solution, rather than spray them.

Only whole tubers can be sprayed with the drug! Damaged or cut planting material is not processed! It is also forbidden to cut the potatoes after processing before planting: they must remain intact and in this form fall into the soil.

Remember safety

Since Prestige is a toxic drug (albeit in moderation), reasonable safety measures will have to be followed when working with it, as with any other chemical.

• Before starting pickling, you must make sure that the film on which the potatoes will be processed is not damaged.
• During work, protective equipment should be used (for hands - gloves, for the respiratory system - a respirator, for the skin - a protective suit).
• There should be no food in the room.
• In the process of pre-planting processing, you should not eat, smoke, and it is not recommended to talk.
• At the end of these works, you must take a shower, wash your hands thoroughly using soap, and rinse your mouth.
• If normal clothing was used during spraying and not a protective suit, it is recommended to destroy it.
• If the working solution gets into the eyes, rinse them thoroughly under running water.
• If any signs of poisoning appear, you should take sorbents and contact the clinic, taking with you the instructions for the drug.

There is evidence of mutagenic properties of "Prestige", its effect on human reproductive organs, increased risk of miscarriage or the birth of a child with disabilities. Therefore, it is not recommended for pregnant women to work with it!

So, "Prestige" is a rather effective preparation for pre-planting potato processing, capable of significantly increasing its yield, improving its appearance, protecting it from a whole range of misfortunes. But you need to use it correctly, according to the instructions and common sense: in dosages not exceeding those indicated, using personal protective equipment, maintaining the maximum time from spraying the tubers to eating the new crop.