Detailed Explanation of Sweet Potato Cultivation Techniques and Management Key Points
Sweet potato, also known as digua, fanshu, and so on, is planted throughout our country. It can be used as a staple food, and can also be processed into processed foods, starch, alcohol, and so on. Sweet potato has high nutritional value and tastes soft and sticky, but do not eat too much at one time, as it easily causes bloating. The roots, stems, and leaves of sweet potato can all be used as feed, and the requirements for the planting process are not high. Let us take a look below at Sweet Potato Cultivation Techniques and Management Key Points.
1. Seed selection and seedling raising
Whether sweet potato yield is good or not, seed selection is key. For raising seedlings from tuberous roots, choose roots of appropriate size, uniform, free of pest and disease damage, and without wounds as seed.
When the seedlings from the tuberous roots reach a length of about 30 cm, they can be temporarily planted for propagation.
2. Land selection and preparation
For planting sweet potato, try to choose sandy loam or loam with good looseness, strong air permeability, moderate fertility, and good drainage.
When planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer, using farmyard manure as the main fertilizer, paired with chemical fertilizer.
3. Planting
Planting with strong apical seedlings results in relatively robust growth, with apical dominance, sufficient nutrients in the later stage, good disease resistance, fast greening recovery, early rooting time, and somewhat higher yield.
Common sweet potato planting methods include vertical insertion, oblique insertion, hook insertion, horizontal insertion, and so on. Choose the appropriate planting method according to the local geographical environment, climatic conditions, and so on.
The choice of planting method is directly related to the rooting of sweet potato seedlings, the formation of tuberous roots, and their expansion. In addition, planting depth also has a relatively large impact.
Reasonable close planting helps increase sweet potato yield, but it should be controlled according to different sweet potato varieties, soil fertility, season, and so on.
4. Field management work
The period from rooting and seedling recovery to branching and tuber formation is an important stage for sweet potato root establishment and greening recovery. During this period, not much water is needed and few nutrients are consumed. The main work is checking seedlings and filling gaps. This work should be done within five days after planting sweet potato seedlings, keeping the soil moist and improving the survival rate of sweet potato seedlings.
The period from vigorous stem and leaf growth to tuber expansion is an important stage of nutrient accumulation, so attention should be paid to water and fertilizer management. When watering, master the method and do not water too much, so as to avoid excessive growth. Cultivation and weeding work is also very important, as it can keep the soil loose, increase its air permeability, raise soil temperature, and reduce the phenomenon of weeds growing densely. Note that sweet potato is drought-tolerant, and too much watering is not needed in the early stage, but if the soil is too dry, small amounts of water can be given.
The period from tuber expansion to before harvest is an important period for starch accumulation in sweet potato storage roots. At this stage, fertilizer should be applied according to actual conditions.
Sweet potato is easily attacked by insect pests, so prevention must be done in advance. When diseases are found, use medicine promptly for treatment, so as not to affect yield and quality.