Detailed Explanation of Standardized Potato Production Technology

(1) Scope

This standardized production technology specifies the technical requirements for variety selection and treatment, land selection, crop rotation selection, land preparation, fertilization, sowing, field management and harvesting in the potato production process. This standardized production technology protocol is applicable to main potato production areas. If implemented accordingly, in normal years, the yield per hectare can reach 30 tons.

(2) Variety Selection and Seed Potato Treatment

1. Variety selection. On the basis of using virus-free seed potatoes, select suitable excellent varieties according to the purpose. For fresh edible potato production, varieties such as Kexin 4, Kexin 12, Kexin 13, Dongnong 303, and Zaodabai can be selected; for processing starch, vermicelli, etc., Kexin 12, Youjin (88-5), Huangmazi, etc. can be selected; for processing French fries, potato chips, etc., Atlantic, Shepody, etc. can be selected. For seed potatoes, use young potatoes or mature potatoes; do not use aged potatoes, cracked potatoes, deformed potatoes, or diseased potatoes.

2. Seed potato treatment. ① Sprouting. Take them out of the cellar 40-45 days before sowing, place them indoors near sunlight or outdoors in a wind-sheltered sunny place, spread them in 2-3 layers, maintain the temperature at 15°C-20°C, pay attention to cold protection at night, turn them once every 3-5 days, expose them evenly to light, and promote purple sprouts. During the sprouting process, remove diseased and rotten potatoes. ② Cutting seed pieces. For mechanical sowing, large seed pieces can be cut, each weighing 35-45 grams; for manual sowing, small seed pieces can be cut, each weighing 30-35 grams. Each seed piece should retain 1-2 eyes. During cutting, remove diseased and rotten potatoes, and disinfect the cutting knife with 5% Lysol. ③ Seed dressing. After the cut surfaces of the potato pieces are air-dried, evenly spray the seed potatoes with a 10 mg/kg solution of ABT Rooting Powder No. 5 or No. 8. After even dressing, cover with wet burlap sacks and let them sit for 12 hours, then sow, or dress the seeds with plant ash.

(3) Land Selection, Crop Rotation Selection, and Land Preparation

1. Land selection. Select plots with a foundation of deep plowing, loose soil, and good drainage. Avoid alkaline plots to prevent the occurrence of scab.

2. Crop rotation selection. Select @#@245@#@ and corn as the previous crops, followed by soybean (plots where the previous crop had a long residual period of herbicide application must not be planted with potatoes). Avoid sugar beet as the previous crop.

3. Land preparation. After summer and autumn plowing, harrowing, and leveling, form ridges and compact the soil. For plots prepared in spring, harrow and level in early spring to eliminate stubble and reach a sowing-ready state.

(4) Fertilization

Implement soil testing and formula fertilization, and achieve a reasonable combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements.

1. Base fertilizer. Use 15-20 tons per hectare of high-quality farm manure with an organic matter content of more than 8% as base fertilizer.

2. Seed fertilizer. Use 150 kg urea, 225 kg diammonium phosphate, and 75 kg potassium sulfate per hectare, mix evenly, or use a special fertilizer or compound fertilizer with an equivalent content of pure nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (do not use potassium chloride), and apply between plants to avoid burning the seeds.

3. Topdressing. At the early flowering stage, apply urea once in combination with intertillage and ridging; or apply urea separately at the early flowering stage and full flowering stage. The urea application rate is 100-150 kg per hectare. If conditions permit, foliar fertilizers such as Huimanfeng and Jintianbao can also be sprayed.

(5) Sowing

1. Sowing time. Sow in time when the air temperature stably passes 6°C-7°C.

2. Sowing method. Use mechanical sowing or manual sowing. Open furrows on the ridges, manually place the seed potatoes, then close the original ridges. Or adopt the hole-covering method; after plowing one furrow in the ridge ditch, manually place the seed potatoes evenly in the ridge ditch, then break the original ridge and form a new ridge, and compact in time to prevent loss of soil moisture.

3. Density. According to the variety and soil fertility conditions, appropriately plant early-maturing varieties and high-fertility plots more densely, and plant late-maturing varieties and lower-fertility plots more sparsely. For dense planting, keep 60,000-70,000 plants per hectare; for sparse planting, keep 50,000-60,000 plants per hectare.

(6) Field Management

1. Field inspection and replanting. After the young seedlings emerge completely, inspect the field and replant to achieve a full stand.

2. Timely intertillage and ridging. Before emergence, harrow once to remove the surface soil, increase soil temperature, and also suppress weeds, but do not harrow too much soil. When potato sprouts are pushing through the soil, carry out one deep intertillage and shallow hilling. After the seedlings emerge completely, hoe once in time, then plow one furrow, hill less soil, increase soil temperature, and reduce water evaporation. During the plant growth stage, hoe twice and plow three times, hill more soil, make the ridge ditch narrow and the ridge top wide, preserve soil moisture and loosen the soil, which is beneficial to tuber expansion.

3. Prevention and control of diseases, insects, and weeds. At the same time as sowing, apply phoxim granules at 60-70 kg per hectare to control underground pests such as wireworms and grubs. At the early flowering stage, use 500 times dilution of metalaxyl mancozeb or 500-700 times dilution of 70% Baidefu wettable powder or 350-500 times dilution of 77% Keshade wettable powder or 500-800 times dilution of 25% Ridomil wettable powder to control potato late blight. Use 250-300 kg of spray solution per hectare. 5-10 days after sowing (before emergence), carry out soil treatment to control seedling-stage weeds. Use 10% acetochlor 1200-1500 g/ha plus 70% metribuzin 525-600 g/ha or 33% pendimethalin 3750 mL/ha, dilute with 450 kg water and spray.

4. Bud removal. Remove flower buds at the early flowering stage to reduce nutrient consumption and increase yield.

5. Removing large weeds. After the Beginning of Autumn, remove large weeds once.

(7) Harvest

1. Harvest time. Early-maturing varieties are harvested from late August, and medium-late maturing varieties from mid-September.

2. Harvest method. Manually break the ridges, requiring straight plowing, no missed rows, no deviation in soil moisture, rake clean and pick up all potatoes, pile them in the field and cover with soil for storage to prevent them from being exposed and turning green.