How to cultivate sweet potatoes to achieve high yield?

Sweet potato , also known as yam or sweet potato, is a traditional food crop that is deeply loved by people. In our country, it is widely planted from south to north. Although sweet potatoes are relatively simple to grow and manage, achieving high yields requires some specific planting and management techniques. Let’s take a brief look at how to grow sweet potatoes to achieve high yields.

1. Transplantation techniques

1. Shallow planting

The tuberous roots of sweet potatoes grow close to the ground. If they are planted too deep, the development of the tuberous roots will be restricted. Therefore, transplantation should be kept shallow, usually at a depth of 5-7 cm.

2. Slant planting

Sweet potatoes should not be planted upright because this is not conducive to the formation of tubers. When transplanting, the seedlings should be inserted into the soil at a larger angle, and the longer the stem segment inserted into the soil, the better. For example, a 20-cm-long seedling should be inserted obliquely into the soil 15 cm, with about 5 cm of the above-ground part exposed.

2. Reasonable fertilization

Sweet potatoes have a particular preference for potash fertilizers, but other types of fertilizers are just as important.

1. Base fertilizer

You can use decomposed organic fertilizers , combined with superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Avoid using fertilizers such as urea and ammonium bicarbonate as base fertilizers.

2. Topdressing

If organic fertilizer is not used as base fertilizer, top dressing should be done when the seedlings are about to close the ridges. Top dressing is usually done by irrigation, combining manure water and potash fertilizer. At the same time, you can also spray foliar fertilizers such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves, starting from 20 days after transplanting, and spray once every 10 days to increase yield.

3. Turning and lifting vines

When the vines are over 40 cm tall, they should be lifted to prevent the formation of adventitious roots that would interfere with the development of the taproot tuber. The vines need to be lifted about three times during the entire growing season, especially after consecutive rainy days, the vines should be lifted and turned in time.

4. Controlling the growth

In the later stages of sweet potato growth, it is necessary to prevent the seedlings from overgrowing.

Control nitrogen fertilizer: Reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizer to avoid excessive growth of seedlings.

Topping: When the seedlings are about to cover the ridges, their growth can be controlled by topping.

Spraying potassium dihydrogen phosphate: Use high concentration potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution for spraying (diluted with water 150 times) to control excessive growth.

5. Weeding and loosening the soil

Sweet potatoes are a low-growing crop and are easily affected by weeds. Throughout the growing season, weeds should be removed in a timely manner to avoid affecting the growth of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes like loose and breathable soil, and the soil should be loosened regularly to maintain its air permeability.

The above is an introduction to the management points of sweet potato cultivation. Following these management points can effectively increase the yield of sweet potatoes.