Analysis of the Pros and Cons of Cutting Potato Seed Tubers

Cutting potato seed tubers makes full use of every eye, saves seed potatoes, and lowers production costs. Especially before sowing, if the seed potatoes have not broken dormancy, or if only the apical bud has sprouted while the lateral buds have not yet sprouted, cutting the tubers helps break dormancy and can prompt the eyes of the seed potatoes to sprout and shoot earlier.

Cutting potato seed tubers also has many drawbacks in production. If conditions at sowing are poor, for example if the soil is too dry or too wet, the ground temperature is too low or too high, or the seed potatoes themselves have poor resistance, the cut seed pieces are prone to rotting or shriveling from water loss, resulting in uneven emergence, serious gaps in the field, and ultimately reduced yield. In addition, if the knife is not disinfected when cutting seed potatoes, many viral and bacterial diseases can spread among the seed potatoes via the knife, and if the wounds cannot heal quickly, the cut surfaces are easily infected by bacteria and rot. Especially when sowing in high temperature and high humidity, a large number of seed pieces can easily rot, causing serious gaps in the field and even reduced yield. Therefore, at sowing time, a reasonable choice should be made according to that year's soil moisture and weather conditions.