What is the price of potato seeds? Detailed explanation of planting methods
The potato is the world's fourth most important food crop, with the scientific name Solanum tuberosum, also known as yam, earth egg, potato and so on. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Solanum in the nightshade family, native to the Andes mountains of South America. Its tubers are edible, and together with wheat, rice, corn and sorghum it ranks among the world's five major crops. Let's take a look at potato seed prices and planting methods below!
How much is a jin of potato seeds?
The price of potato seeds is about 1 to 2 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin and market. The potato has only been introduced into China for just over three hundred years, but there are very many cultivated varieties, including purple, red, black and yellow potatoes, rainbow potatoes and so on. At the same time, China is also the country with the highest total potato production in the world, with the main producing areas being Dingxi City in Gansu, Guyuan City in Ningxia, the southwest, Inner Mongolia and the northeast region.
The growth cycle of the potato
1. Dormancy period: after the potato is harvested, it is placed in an environment suitable for sprouting but cannot sprout for a long time; this is physiological natural dormancy. The length of this period is related to the storability of the tubers, to whether they can emerge in time after sowing, and therefore to the level of yield.
2. Sprouting period: from bud initiation to emergence is the sprouting period, during which the first segment of the main stem grows. The focus of growth during the sprouting period is bud elongation, root formation and stolon formation. Nutrients and water mainly come from the seed potato, supplied in the order of stems and leaves, then roots.
3. Seedling period: from emergence until the sixth or eighth leaf unfolds flat, that is, the completion of the growth of one phyllotaxy, is the second segment of main stem growth and is the seedling period of the potato. The seedling period lasts a relatively short time; whether it is a spring crop or an autumn crop, it is only a short half month.
4. Vigorous growth period: from the rosette stage to the unfolding of the twelfth or sixteenth leaf, with early-maturing varieties flowering at the first inflorescence and late-maturing varieties flowering at the second inflorescence, this is the vigorous growth period of the potato. It lasts about 1 month and is the third segment of main stem growth.
5. Tuber formation period: after the vigorous growth period is completed, the potato enters the tuber formation period, dominated by tuber growth. Organic nutrients from all parts of the plant are continuously transported to the tubers, and the tubers then expand more rapidly, with the fastest expansion generally in the 10 days after flowering, usually lasting 30 to 50 days.
Potato sowing methods
1. Choosing field soil: the potato has strong adaptability, and its main requirement for soil is looseness. It is not strict about soil acidity or alkalinity, and a pH range of 5.0 to 8.0 is acceptable. It is best to choose sandy soil or loam that is high-lying, loose, deep, convenient for drainage and irrigation, and fertile.
2. Selecting good varieties: for potato planting, virus-free varieties that are early-maturing, high-yielding and disease-resistant should be selected. Seed potatoes should have neat tuber shape, moderate size, smooth and tender skin, distinct buds and roots, intact tubers, no pests or diseases, and no frost damage; vigorous mature tubers are required, with a size of 25 to 50 grams being suitable.
3. Seed treatment: when planting potatoes, first spread the seed potatoes in sunlight for 2 to 3 days, 3 to 4 hours per day, and remove diseased and rotten potatoes. Large seed potatoes should be cut into pieces, then evenly mixed with plant ash plus 4 to 8% thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim to promote healing of the cut surfaces and disinfect them.
4. Land preparation and fertilization: before sowing potatoes, in combination with land preparation, apply per mu 3000 to 4000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 25 kg of diammonium phosphate, 20 kg of urea, 15 kg of potassium sulfate, 1 to 1.5 kg of zinc sulfate, or 50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, 50 kg of superphosphate and 25 kg of potassium sulfate.
5. Sowing at the right time: potatoes can generally be sown in early to mid-March when the soil temperature stabilizes at 3 to 5°C. Then cover the bed surface with plastic film, press the edges of the film firmly with fine soil, and press a clod of soil every 2 to 3 m to prevent the wind from damaging the film and affecting the heat-preservation effect.
Potato planting methods
1. Scientific seedling release: when potato seedlings have grown 1 to 2 leaves and no cold wave is coming, the seedlings can be released. Cut a cross-shaped opening in the film directly above the seedling, guide the seedling out of the film, then grab a handful of fine soil to seal the film tightly around the seedling to help preserve heat and moisture.
2. Fertilizer and water management: after the potatoes have fully emerged, cultivate and weed in time. At the bud and flowering stages, spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate or micronutrient fertilizer on the leaves 1 to 2 times to supplement phosphorus, potassium and trace elements. When the flower buds have formed and the inflorescences are emerging, remove them in time.
3. Combining promotion and control: when the aboveground part of the potato grows too vigorously, it will affect the expansion of the underground tubers. Attention should be paid to controlling excessive aboveground growth. Use per mu 50 to 80 grams of 15% paclobutrazol wettable powder, mixed with 45 kg of water, and spray evenly on the leaves.
4. Timely harvest: for fields where potatoes are sold as a vegetable, seize the opportunity of early market listing and high value, and harvest and sell early after flowering. Although the yield is low, the output value is high. Potatoes for other uses should be harvested after they are fully mature, which can achieve the highest yield.
5. Pest and disease control
① Ring rot: ring rot causes relatively great damage to potato growth; if it occurs over a large area, it can lead to reduced yield or total crop loss. Therefore, ring rot must be cut off at the source by selecting disease-free seed potatoes, and when cutting pieces, pay attention to disinfecting the knife to avoid cross-infection.
② Viral disease: viral disease is an infectious virus. In the early stage of the disease, chemical control can be carried out by spraying 300-fold diluent of Kangdufeng (0.5% mushroom polysaccharide aqueous solution) or 500-fold diluent of 20% Virus A wettable powder, etc.
③ Lady beetles: lady beetles can be sprayed and killed by several methods, including 1000-fold dilutions of each of 80% trichlorfon wettable powder or 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate, 2.5% deltamethrin emulsifiable concentrate, and 3000-fold diluent of 10% cypermethrin emulsifiable concentrate, spraying once every 10 days.
④ Underground pests: for underground pests such as mole crickets, white grubs and cutworms, use per mu 2 to 3 kg of 3% phorate granules, prepare poisonous soil at a medicine-to-soil ratio of 1:10, spread it evenly on the soil surface, and apply it during land preparation.