Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Mechanized Potato Planting Technology

Mechanized planting has already become very well established in agricultural production, and it offers many advantages: it saves labor, promotes high yields, and boosts the economic returns of farmers. Potatoes are commonly grown in open fields, and as mechanized potato planting technology has matured, potato yields have been greatly increased. Let's take a look below at the key points of mechanized potato planting technology.

(1) Preparation before sowing

1. Soil conditions

Choose loam or sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, high organic matter content, loose and easily crumbled texture, good permeability, and medium or above fertility.

2. Base fertilizer and deep plowing

Potatoes are a high-yield, fertilizer-loving crop and are extremely sensitive to fertilizer. To produce 1 ton of potato tubers, the crop needs to absorb 5.5 kg of nitrogen, 2.2 kg of phosphorus, and 10.2 kg of potassium from the soil, with an absorption ratio of 1:0.4:2 for the three, and among the three major fertilizer elements, potassium is required in the greatest amount. Fertilization should be based mainly on farmyard manure, supplemented by chemical fertilizer. The base fertilizer is best applied at 3 tons per 667 sq m, with the fertilizer deeply plowed into the soil. Autumn plowing and winter irrigation should be carried out to enhance the soil's water storage and moisture conservation capacity, creating a good soil environment for potato tuber expansion and root growth.

3. Land preparation standards

Use a combined land preparation machine or disc harrow for land preparation, with a harrowing depth of 10-15 cm, a level surface, loose topsoil and firm subsoil, a missed harrowing area of <1%, a harrowing depth variation coefficient of ≤15%, and a soil crushing rate of >80%, meeting the six-character standard of “level, neat, loose, crumbled, clean, and moist”.

(2) Mechanical sowing

Mechanical potato sowing can complete multiple operations in one pass, including furrowing, sowing, fertilizing, ridging, covering with soil, and compacting. This technology has advantages such as uniform seed distribution, consistent plant and row spacing, firm compaction, and uniform emergence. The use of mechanized sowing not only improves sowing quality and reduces labor intensity, but also provides conditions for mechanized operations such as potato cultivation and harvesting.

1. Deep plowing for moisture conservation

Since the soil moisture for spring potato sowing is mostly formed by water stored after the previous year's autumn plowing and water from melting winter snow, in view of this characteristic, attention should be paid to deep plowing during autumn plowing each year to strengthen the soil's water storage and moisture conservation capacity. Autumn land preparation should be completed in one pass, and the following spring only furrowing and sowing are needed, without plowing or leveling. This can reduce soil moisture loss and help young sprouts emerge early after sowing and promote seedling-stage growth.

2. Use of combined operations

Since machinery is used in spring to complete furrowing, sowing, and fertilizing in one pass, this avoids or reduces soil moisture evaporation caused by drought and strong winds as well as fertilizer efficiency loss caused by manual fertilization, ensuring sufficient moisture and nutrients when seedlings emerge.

3. Timely sowing

Timely sowing is an important step for potatoes to achieve high yields. Timely means sowing when the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm reaches 7°C-8°C. During large-area sowing periods, it is difficult to complete the work relying only on human and animal power. This is because if sowing is too early or too late, seed potatoes cannot germinate normally, causing serious gaps and missing rows, which affects yield.

4. Sowing depth

Potato planting mostly uses two methods: ridging and flat planting. Ridging can raise soil temperature, promote early maturity, resist waterlogging, facilitate cultivation and irrigation, and is more conducive to mechanical operations. When potatoes are grown on ridges, the sowing depth (including ridge height) is generally 12-18 cm; in humid areas it should not exceed 12 cm, while in dry and warmer areas it should be around 18 cm. In addition, for areas using mechanized harvesting, shallow sowing is preferable.

5. Seed treatment

Selecting excellent varieties is a prerequisite for ensuring potato quality, reducing pests and diseases, and achieving high yields. When the sprouts of seed potatoes grow to 0.5-1 cm long, begin cutting seed pieces before sowing. Before cutting, sterilize the cutting knife with 75% alcohol. After cutting each seed potato, sterilize the knife with alcohol. After cutting the seed potato open, if yellow rings or black navels are found, the entire seed potato must be discarded and cannot be used.

(3) Field management

1. Cultivation

Generally two operations are carried out. The first is done when about 50% of seedlings have emerged to promote seedling growth and development, and the second is done when seedlings are 15-20 cm tall, with 5 cm of soil hilled up each time.

2. Topdressing

During the first cultivation, apply 100-150 kg/ha of urea as topdressing. When cultivating and hilling, adjust the angle, depth, and width of the plowshare and moldboard so as not to damage the seedlings.

(4) Mechanical harvesting

1. About 10 days before harvest, first crush or cut the vines so that the potato skin toughens, thereby reducing losses during harvest. Before the mechanical harvester enters the field, adjust the depth of the plowshare entering the soil. If it enters too shallow, tubers are easily damaged and cannot be fully harvested; if it enters too deep, labor is wasted and tubers are easily lost.

2. Commonly used harvesters are single-row or double-row potato harvesters matched with tractors, with an operating speed of 3-4 km/h and a digging depth of 20 cm. The dug tubers are not buried by soil, so they can be picked up cleanly by hand.