Where are sweet potatoes grown? How can they be planted to achieve high yields?

Sweet potato, also called fan shu, di gua or gan shu, is a crop that can be used both as a staple food and as a vegetable. Because it is rich in protein, starch, pectin, cellulose, amino acids, vitamins and various minerals, it is popular with people and in great demand on the market. So where are sweet potatoes grown? How can they be planted to achieve high yields?

I. Where are sweet potatoes grown?

Sweet potatoes are best grown in soils of the sandy ginger black soil and silted black soil types, with a deep soil layer that is loose, breathable and well drained. At present they are planted in both northern and southern China, while large-scale sweet potato cultivation is mainly concentrated in Anhui, the three northeastern provinces, Henan, Hebei, Hunan, Hubei and other regions.

The sweet potatoes of Si County, Anhui, in particular, are famous far and wide for their root form. The townships of Dalukou, Dinghu and Caogou in southern Si County and Heita in the northwest are all major sweet potato production areas. Sweet potatoes produced in these areas have bright skin, well-formed roots, excellent quality, a high marketable rate and a relatively high starch yield.

II. How should sweet potatoes be planted to achieve high yields?

1. Choose high-yielding sweet potato varieties

The choice of sweet potato variety should be based on the nutrient elements abundant in the planting site, the fertility of the soil and the local humidity, selecting varieties that are suited to survival, of excellent quality, strongly resistant to pests and diseases, and high yielding.

The main recommended varieties include “Shangshu 19”, “Xushu 22”, “Xushu 25-2”, “Beijing 553”, “Longshu No. 9”, “Jishu No. 4”, “Sankang No. 1”, “Sankang No. 8”, “Yushu Wang”, “Japanese Hongdong”, “Zhejinyu” and others.

These sweet potato varieties have strong drought resistance and disease resistance, relatively high yield increases and good yielding ability, and are suitable for large-scale promotion locally.

2. Choosing the planting plot

It is recommended to choose a field that is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, with fertile soil, a deep soil layer and easy management. Deeply plow the seedbed land, with a width of about 1.5 m and a ditch width of 33 cm.

In addition, it should be noted that when choosing a sweet potato planting plot, try not to plant sweet potatoes continuously, to prevent pathogens from accumulating in the soil. Instead, choose a plot where corn, soybeans or vegetables were planted in the previous crop.

3. Seed potato treatment must be done properly

Make sure the potato tubers are clean, hygienic and free of pathogens, and buy age-appropriate, healthy, disease-free sweet potato seedlings from a legitimate seedling company. Choose varieties that are high yielding, stable yielding, storage tolerant and suitable for local planting, and as far as possible do not buy sweet potato seedlings from farmers or street vendors.

If propagating from tubers, choose tubers with no scars and no disease spots as seed tubers. Soak the selected seed tubers in a 1000-fold solution of 70% thiophanate-methyl or a 500-fold solution of 25% carbendazim for 5 minutes. Of course, before sowing you can also soak the seed tubers in 45-50°C water for 5-10 minutes before planting.

This not only ensures the yield and quality of the sweet potatoes, but also ensures their safe storage.

4. Master the planting time

Sweet potatoes can be planted in spring, autumn and early winter. The planting time is generally best when the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm is stably above 16°C. Spring sweet potatoes are generally best planted from late March to before “Qingming”, and autumn planting is generally around “Liqiu”, no later than “Chushu”.

5. Fertilization must be scientific

Fertilization should follow the principle of “farmyard manure as the main fertilizer, chemical fertilizer as a supplement; base fertilizer as the main fertilizer, topdressing as a supplement”.

6. Strengthen field management

After the plants have survived planting, when the main vines of the sweet potatoes grow to 20-25 cm long, topping should be carried out, in order to promote the growth of young branches. Irrigate promptly to prevent drought, and weed promptly to prevent weed infestation.

Warm reminder: Sweet potatoes have no obvious maturity period, so early sweet potato cultivation can be harvested according to market prices.