Purple Sweet Potato Planting Precautions and Nutritional Value Explained

Purple sweet potato is also called black sweet potato. In recent years, purple sweet potato has become very popular in international and domestic markets, and its development prospects are very promising. So what precautions should be taken when planting purple sweet potato? And what nutritional value does it have?

1. Precautions for planting purple sweet potato

1. Deep plowing and land preparation.

Purple sweet potato is a root-tuber crop, and the expansion of the root tubers requires deep, loose soil conditions. Therefore, to obtain high yields, deep plowing and soil improvement are essential. Deep plowing of the land, especially alternate-year deep plowing in autumn and winter, has an extremely significant effect on increasing sweet potato yields. Where conditions permit, general deep plowing can be carried out. If general deep plowing is not possible, it can be combined with making furrows without deep plowing through the center of the sweet potato, or combined with winter fallowing for strip-based deep turning. When making ridges, the ridges should be straight, the furrows deep, and the ridge surface wide and flat. For double-row planting, the ridge surface width is 33-40 cm. For single-row planting, the ridge surface width is 18-24 cm. In order to make full use of light energy, the ridge direction should preferably be north-south.

2. Planting time

Spring sweet potato can only be planted when the soil temperature at 5 cm below the surface rises to about 16C. The specific time varies by region. In Huainan City, spring sweet potato should preferably be planted in early May, and summer sweet potato in early June. Planting should be done as early as possible to promote increased yield.

3. Planting method.

Use horizontal shallow planting. First open a small ditch 5 cm deep on the ridge surface, smooth the sweet potato seedling leaves toward the seedling tip so that they tightly wrap the seedling base. Place into the ditch, cover with soil 5 cm thick, and let the seedling tip protrude about 6 cm.

4. Planting density.

Spring sweet potato should preferably be 4000 plants per mu, summer sweet potato 500-6000 plants, with a plant spacing of 20 cm.

5. Timely topdressing

Fertilize according to the seedlings. When the base fertilizer is insufficient, combine with the first intertillage and pour diluted manure water at the base of the plants. If the seedlings are strong and the base fertilizer is sufficient, no fertilizer is needed. When cracks appear on the ridge surface, timely apply expansion fertilizer, using 750-1000 kg of clear water manure fertilizer, mixed with 500 g of potassium dihydrogen phosphate in the manure fertilizer, and irrigate along the cracks in the early morning or evening, then fill the cracks with soil. In the middle and late stages, to prevent premature aging, extend and enhance leaf photosynthesis, and promote tuber enlargement, foliar spraying should be carried out. Use 0.5 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu, mixed with 30-40 kg of water, combined with 800-fold diluted New High Lipid Film for foliar spraying, spraying once every 15d, for a total of 2 sprays.

6. Timely vine lifting

In all places where sweet potato is grown, there is a habit of turning the vines, on the grounds that turning the vines can control excessive stem and leaf growth, but a large number of experiments have proved that turning the vines leads to reduced yield. The reason is that turning the vines causes damage to the stems and leaves and reduces leaf area; turning the vines disrupts the normal distribution of stems and leaves and lowers photosynthetic capacity; turning the vines causes new branches to grow from axillary buds at the stem base, causing more nutrients to be distributed to the stem and leaf parts. Therefore, apart from short-term vine turning combined with measures such as breaking the ridge surface and earthing up, it is generally not advisable to turn the vines. When lifting the vines, care should be taken to minimize damage to stems and leaves, and the stems and vines should be placed along the ridge direction to facilitate continued growth.

7. Timely harvest

Begin digging and harvesting when the temperature drops to 15C, and generally complete harvesting around Cold Dew.

2. Nutritional value of purple sweet potato

In addition to the nutritional components of ordinary red sweet potato, purple sweet potato is also rich in selenium and anthocyanins. Selenium is an essential element for the human body in resisting fatigue, resisting aging, and replenishing blood. In particular, selenium is called the “king of anti-cancer”. Anthocyanins have preventive and therapeutic effects on more than 100 diseases. Anthocyanins are currently the most direct, most effective, and safest free radical scavenger discovered by the scientific community for preventing and treating diseases and maintaining human health. Their ability to scavenge free radicals is 20 times that of vitamin C. 50 times that of vitamin E. Anthocyanins have a small molecule structure and are the only substance that can pass through the blood-brain barrier to scavenge free radicals and protect brain cells, while also reducing the harm brought to the human body by antibiotics, so they have very high value for promotion and application.

Alright, the above are the planting precautions for purple sweet potato brought to you by Tuliu.com. Then we will see you next time.