Intercropping Corn with Potatoes Helps Farmers in Heze, Shandong Get Rich
The Huang-Huai River basin is the main summer corn production area in China. Although corn prices have fallen, it is impossible to significantly reduce the corn area in the short term.
The High-Tech Agricultural Science Research Institute of the Heze area has actively explored the model of intercropping summer corn with autumn potatoes and achieved fruitful results. In 1999, 3500 mu were promoted throughout the region, increasing income by nearly 10 million yuan. In the Yangtze River and Huang-Huai River basins, due to high summer and autumn temperatures, potato cultivation is mostly based on spring planting. Autumn cultivation is highly technical and difficult. Previously, the yield per mu was only about 500 kg, so the area of autumn-planted potatoes was small, and the time to market was in December to January. In addition, because the marketability is better than that of Northeast potatoes, the selling price is generally 0.50-0.80 yuan per 500 g, and they sell very well.
Intercropping and relay intercropping potatoes with corn does not reduce corn yield, and in the early stage it also provides shade and cooling for the potatoes, which is conducive to full seedling emergence. It is a relatively good model for developing high-efficiency agriculture in the Huang-Huai River basin.
1. Select excellent varieties. For corn, it is advisable to choose Yuyu No. 22, which has high yield, large ears, and is suitable for sparse planting. Under the condition of 2200-2600 plants per mu, this variety can still reach a yield of 500 kg per mu. For potatoes, choose Luyin No. 1, Holland 15, Jinshu No. 8, etc., which have a short dormancy period.
2. Sow at the appropriate time. Sow corn early at the appropriate time, or intercrop it in wheat fields, so as to promote corn harvest around mid-September, and the potato sowing period can be advanced to early August.
3. Intercropping method. Corn row spacing 90 cm, plant spacing 25 cm-30 cm; potato row spacing 60 cm, plant spacing 20 cm, 5000-5500 plants per mu. Use 175 kg-300 kg of seed potatoes per mu.
4. Precautions
1. The selected potato seeds must be harvested around May 10, so that the potatoes can naturally pass through a dormancy period of about 90 days, ensuring full seedling emergence after sowing. Autumn potatoes must be sown as whole tubers, and cutting into pieces to promote sprouting must absolutely be avoided. Before sowing, whole tubers can be soaked for 10 minutes in a 600-fold carbendazim solution, which has a relatively good sterilizing and disinfecting effect.
2. Choose relatively dry sandy loam soil for planting, and avoid waterlogged lowlands and water-accumulating land. After sowing, grass can be spread over the field beds. After the corn is harvested, the temperature turns cooler, and the potatoes enter the middle stage of growth, so water and fertilize frequently. Choose the harvest period 3-5 days after the first frost. Where conditions permit, protective measures can be used for covering, taking advantage of the relatively warm early winter temperatures to allow the potatoes to continue growing, which can significantly increase yield.
3. Pests and diseases are important factors affecting the stable development of potato production and limiting increases in per-unit yield. Potato diseases number more than a hundred kinds, generally causing a 10-30% yield reduction, and in severe cases more than 70%. There are 15 common diseases in China, among which late blight, ring rot, and viral diseases are collectively called the "three major diseases." For more questions related to planting and breeding, you can consult experts on the Yunzhongyang platform. It has become the world's largest agricultural technology Q&A website. It brings together hundreds of thousands of experts in planting and breeding, ensuring that every question raised receives a response within 2 minutes.