How to grow potatoes to get high yield?

Potatoes are a widely grown and consumed crop, either as a staple food, vegetable or ingredient, and are used in a variety of cooking methods, including boiling, baking, sautéing, frying, steaming, making soups and salads. Uncut potatoes can be stored for weeks or even months in a dry, cool environment. So how can we grow potatoes to get high yields?

1. Suitable planting season

Potato planting time varies from region to region. Generally speaking, October to December is the main planting period, but specific local climatic conditions must also be considered. For example, in Northeast China and northwestern regions such as Gansu and Qinghai, the suitable planting time is mid-April to early May; while in central and southern provinces such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang, spring planting is usually from January to February, and autumn planting is in September. For Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan and other regions, the planting time is mostly from late October to November.

2. Land preparation and fertilization

Choose sandy loam with fertile soil, flat terrain, good drainage and deep tillage layer for planting. Before sowing, the land should be deeply plowed and harrowed, and the width and height of the ridges should be adjusted according to the terrain and soil moisture. At the same time, 1,500 kg of fully fermented organic fertilizer (such as chicken manure) can be applied per mu, or 200 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer or 50 kg of superphosphate can be used as base fertilizer before planting.

3. Selection and processing of seed potatoes

Choose healthy seed potatoes with smooth surface, bright color and weighing about 0.5 to 1 kg. Before cutting, it is recommended to dry the seed potatoes for 2 to 3 days to enhance their vitality. Use sterilized knives to cut into pieces to avoid bacterial infection. When cutting, try to use the buds on the top of the seed potatoes to ensure germination rate and increase yield.

4. Planting density

The recommended planting density is 20 to 25 cm between plants. When sowing, the seed buds should face upwards and be placed evenly in the furrow. The sowing density per mu is controlled at 5,000 to 6,000 plants to ensure ventilation and light transmission, and to avoid over-crowding or over-sparse planting that affects yield.

5. Water and fertilizer management

In the middle and late stages of potato growth, if the leaves turn yellow, apply 25 to 30 kilograms of potassium sulfate per acre, evenly spread it on the roots of the plants and water them. To prevent premature aging, you can spray a mixture of 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate and urea on the leaves for 2 to 3 times to promote rapid expansion of young tubers. During the growing season, water should be applied appropriately to avoid flooding and maintain soil permeability. In rainy areas, drainage should be carried out promptly after heavy rain to avoid water accumulation. Stop watering 7 days before harvest to increase the marketability and storage time of potatoes.

6. Control excessive growth

If the above-ground part of potatoes grows too vigorously, the branches and leaves may shade each other, affecting ventilation and light transmission, which is not conducive to the expansion of underground potato tubers. Excessive growth can be reasonably controlled by spraying 30 to 40 kg of 400 to 500 times diluted 5% ethylenediaminetetrachloridone solution per mu, once every 10 days, for a total of 2 times.

7. Pest and disease control

The main disease of potatoes is late blight, and prevention is the key. Commonly used protective agents include copper preparations, mancozeb, propineb, etc. Therapeutic agents include oxazolidinone, metalaxyl, cymoxanil, fluopyram, cymoxanil, and silver farlin, which can be sprayed once every 7 days for a total of 2 to 3 times depending on the disease condition. The main pests are mole crickets, which eat underground tubers. Farmers can use 40% phoxim or abamphos along with water, with a dosage of about 1 kg per mu, to effectively prevent underground pests.

The above are the key points of potato cultivation. Potatoes, also known as potatoes, are distributed all over the world. Their yield is very high in itself. If you master the cultivation techniques, the yield will be even higher.