Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Red-Skinned Potato Cultivation Techniques
Red-skinned potatoes originated in South America, and there is now a certain planting area in southern China. Red-skinned potatoes are pink in color and rich in trace elements, with abundant nutrients. They have a range of benefits such as antioxidant, anti-cancer and blood pressure-lowering effects. Their taste is also more waxy and mealy than ordinary potatoes. So how are red-skinned potatoes cultivated? Below, the editor brings you the cultivation techniques for red-skinned potatoes. Let's take a look!
1. Soil Selection and Land Preparation
The primary requirement of red-skinned potatoes for soil is to ensure it is sufficiently loose, because the tubers of red-skinned potatoes are relatively large, and their oxygen consumption is also somewhat increased. Therefore, the soil must be sufficiently soft with strong permeability, and the soil pH value should be controlled at around 5.2-7.8; red-skinned potatoes have relatively strong salt-alkali resistance. So when selecting soil, we must ensure high terrain, loose and deep soil, and good drainage and irrigation. Then carry out land preparation; the depth of land preparation must not be less than 25 cm, and do a good job of compacting and moisture conservation to improve the soil's permeability and its water and fertilizer retention capacity.
2. Seed Selection and Sowing
During land preparation, sufficient base fertilizer must also be applied. The base fertilizer is mainly fully decomposed farmyard manure, with the amount per mu controlled at around 2500 kg, to be sprinkled evenly for sufficient nutrition. After land preparation, select seed tubers of red-skinned potatoes with an undamaged surface, no pests or diseases, and high yield. Half a month before sowing, place them indoors to let the seed tubers enter dormancy for sprouting. After sprouting, sowing can begin when the soil temperature rises above 8 degrees. The sowing time is around Qingming Festival. Pay attention to controlling the sowing density and sow on ridges. Do not sow too densely, to prevent plants from shading each other and affecting light absorption.
3. Water and Fertilizer Management
Red-skinned potatoes have a relatively large water demand and need to be watered more than 5 times throughout the entire growth period, but attention must be paid to the amount and method of watering, mainly using small-drop drip irrigation. Water promptly after the seedlings emerge to promote seedling growth, then do a good job of watering during various stages with high water demand such as the bud stage and flowering stage, to avoid water shortage affecting the growth of red-skinned potatoes. Topdressing is also needed in a timely manner. Red-skinned potatoes have a large demand for potassium, so when topdressing, the proportion of potassium in the fertilizer should be increased, and the amount of nitrogen should be controlled to prevent excessive vegetative growth. The main topdressing periods are the bud stage, tuber formation stage and tuber expansion stage; these three periods are when red-skinned potatoes have the greatest nutrient demand.
4. Field Management
Sufficiently loose soil with strong permeability is of great help to the growth of red-skinned potatoes and the formation and expansion of tubers, so intertillage and weeding work is very important. After the seedlings are fully established, we must carry out the first weeding, because at this time the seedlings are not large and weeds are easy to spot, so shallow hoeing can achieve the goal. Then when the seedlings grow to about 24 cm, carry out intertillage and weeding again to promote the growth of red-skinned potatoes and speed up tuber development. The flower buds of red-skinned potatoes are of no use, and during the growth period the aboveground plants will also compete with the tubers for nutrients, so we must also promptly remove the flower buds to promote tuber growth and reduce nutrient consumption.
We must pay attention to the timing of flower bud removal. When about 28% of the plant's flowers are in full bloom, the flower removal work should begin. Carrying it out about twice a week can effectively increase the yield of red-skinned potatoes. The yield of red-skinned potatoes is closely related to our management, so everyone must master management techniques well before planting to improve their own planting benefits. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you all for reading and supporting!