Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Spring Potato Planting and Management

Spring is an important stage when potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) emerge from the soil and sprout. During this critical period, how should potatoes be managed? What are the key technical points for planting? Broken down in detail, you can refer to the following 9 key points for potato planting and management.

1. Plot selection

Select plots with deep cultivated layers, loose soil, good sunlight, convenient drainage and irrigation, and medium or above-medium fertility. Plots in each village should be as concentrated and contiguous as possible.

2. Fine land preparation

The land for planting potatoes should be deep-plowed and finely harrowed, with careful earthing up, so that the soil is loose and the soil's capacity to store water and retain fertilizer is improved.

3. Seed selection, seed cutting, and seed potato treatment

Seed potatoes should be disease-free, undamaged, and uncracked; small tubers around 6 qian to 1 liang are especially best used whole as seed. When using large tubers as seed, the cut pieces must be handled properly. Cutting potatoes is generally done indoors. The knife and board and other tools used should be strictly sterilized. The cutting knife should be sharp and thin and absolutely clean. Generally, prepare two knives, with one soaked in 75% alcohol solution, 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, or salt water. When the knife used for cutting potatoes cuts into a diseased potato, switch knives immediately and promptly discard the diseased potato. When cutting potatoes, cut vertically and ensure each seed piece has more than 2 buds.

4. Reasonable close planting, improving planting quality and specifications

The sowing time is best from mid-to-late January to early February. Use the double-ridge high-ridge method for sowing. According to variety characteristics and soil fertility, generally use a 3 chi sowing width, that is, a large row spacing of 1.8 chi and a small row spacing of 1.2 chi. With a hill spacing of 6 cun, sow 6600 hills per mu; or with a 2.8 chi sowing width, a large row spacing of 1.8 chi, and a small row spacing of 1 chi, sow 7100 hills per mu. Sowing requires depth, straightness, and evenness. That is, deep plowing, deep planting, and deep covering of soil, with a sowing depth of about 7.5 cun. Sowing should be done on a sunny or cloudy day, and must not be done in rainy weather or immediately after heavy rain. For intercropping land, open beds at 6 chi (used for places below 1200 m) or 5.5 chi (used for places above 1200 m). In the 3 chi section, plant 2 rows of spring potatoes from late January to mid-to-late February, with a distance of 1 chi between the two rows. After sowing, cover both rows with soil to form one ridge. In the reserved rows, plant two rows of corn from late March to early April.

5. Reasonable fertilization

Base fertilizer should mainly be fully decomposed farmyard manure and potato-specific fertilizer. Apply 1500-2500 kg of farmyard manure per mu, 60-80 kg of potato-specific fertilizer, or 40 kg of 45% potassium sulfate compound fertilizer. After the seedlings emerge completely, combine with intertillage to apply one heavy quick-acting seedling-promoting fertilizer, topdressing about 10 kg of urea per mu; when the seedlings are about 20 cm tall before budding, combine with earthing up to apply one tuber-setting fertilizer again, splashing 700 kg of manure water per mu. During the tuber-setting period (before and after the plants flower), spray the stems and leaves 1-2 times with 3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus 3% urea solution. When doing foliar topdressing, adding a mixed solution of 0.1% copper sulfate and boric acid gives a better yield-increasing effect.

6. Intertillage management

After potatoes emerge, intertillage and weed in time. About one month after emergence, carry out the first intertillage, weeding, and earthing up, moving part of the soil from the empty rows onto the potato rows; after an interval of about one month, carry out the second intertillage, weeding, and earthing up, moving as much soil from the empty rows as possible onto the potato planting rows, so that the ridge height reaches 6 cun to 9 cun, forming ridges on the ridge surface and furrows in the empty rows. This is beneficial for irrigation during spring drought and for drainage when rainfall is concentrated in summer. Generally carry out intertillage and ridge building 2-3 times, truly achieving deep planting and deep covering, thereby ensuring the nutrients and moisture needed for potato growth, so that all potato tubers are deeply buried in the soil, increasing tuber set and raising yield.

7. Daily management

In daily management of potatoes, water timely and fertilize reasonably. Pay attention to the amounts of potassium fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, and nitrogen fertilizer used, and require a scientifically reasonable ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to avoid excessive vegetative growth of the plants. At the same time, pay attention to field management and follow the principle of “first restraining, then promoting.” Before budding, do not water as much as possible to prevent excessive aboveground growth. After budding, water and fertilize to promote underground growth. At the same time, spray 800-fold diluted Xin Gao Zhi Mo to preserve moisture, prevent soil crusting, and form a good protective film to prevent invasion by airborne pathogens.

Before potatoes flower, during tuber formation, and during tuber expansion, spray Di Guo Zhuang Di Ling at the appropriate times. This can coordinate the balance between vegetative growth and reproductive growth and the balance between aboveground and underground parts, effectively control excessive growth of stems and leaves in the upper surface layer, unblock and thicken the nutrient transport ducts of underground tubers, improve the vigor of underground tuber expansion, and achieve high quality and high yield.

8. Removing flowers and buds

For varieties that set berries relatively strongly, after potatoes bud, promptly remove the flower buds to avoid nutrient consumption caused by flowering and fruiting, and ensure nutrient supply to the tubers.

9. Disease control

The biggest disease harming potatoes is late blight, which can be controlled with chemicals. Spray fields with mancozeb, metalaxyl, or metalaxyl-mancozeb. The first application is about one month after emergence, during the first intertillage, weeding, and earthing up; the second application is at the budding stage of potatoes; and the third application is when high-temperature and high-humidity weather occurs. Pesticides should be used alternately to avoid resistance.