Detailed Explanation of New High-Yield Potato Cultivation Methods

In order to simplify traditional potato planting techniques, reduce labor intensity, reduce labor employment, lower production costs and improve planting efficiency, we conducted experimental demonstrations of the potato "four noes" planting technique. The technique is summarized as follows.

I. Technical advantages

1. Saves labor and effort. Compared with traditional methods, this technique implements the "four changes": first, changing plowing and land preparation to compartmentalized no-till; second, changing hole-digging and hole sowing to laying seed potatoes on the soil surface; third, changing cultivation and weeding to mulching for weed prevention; fourth, changing digging soil to harvest potatoes to lifting straw and picking potatoes. This demonstrates the "four noes": no plowing or soil preparation; no ditching for sowing; no cultivation or weeding; no digging soil to harvest potatoes. Thus, it reduces operational steps, lowers labor intensity, reduces labor employment and saves planting costs.

2. Builds soil fertility. After rice harvest, many farmer friends burn the rice straw, which not only causes environmental pollution but also wastes resources. Using this technique, 1 sq m of land can utilize 2 sq m of rice straw. After the rice straw decomposes, it is an excellent fertilizer, which both builds soil fertility and protects the ecological environment, benefiting the sustainable development of agriculture.

3. Staged marketing. One of the most important features of this technique is that the planted potatoes can be marketed in batches according to market conditions. When prices are high, the straw can be uncovered to pick large potatoes for market, leaving small potatoes covered with straw to continue growing.

4. Improves efficiency. This technique has low cost and high yield, and more importantly, the harvested potato tubers have smooth surfaces, fresh and tender color, are not damaged, have good appearance, excellent quality, good commercial attributes, strong market competitiveness and command high prices.

II. Operational techniques

1. Site selection: Choose a site with convenient irrigation and drainage and relatively fertile soil.

2. Land preparation: Land preparation can begin after rice harvest. Potato planting can be divided into autumn planting and spring planting.

3. Fertilization: Fertilizer can be applied after compartmentalizing and breaking up the soil. The best fertilizer is decomposed farmyard manure or barn manure, applied at 1000-1500 kg per 667 sq m; alternatively, 50 kg of 25% compound fertilizer can be applied per 667 sq m. When fertilizing, apply in bands on the compartment surface at a row spacing of 35 cm.

4. Seed potato preparation: Select excellent varieties according to the season. For both autumn and spring planting, early-maturing varieties can be selected, such as Dongnong 303. Use about 150 kg of seed per 667 sq m of field. Cut into pieces before sowing, with each piece weighing 20-30 g. Each cut piece should retain more than 1 healthy sprout or eye. The cut surface should be more than 1 cm from the eye, and tetrahedral cuts are preferred.

5. Laying seed potatoes: After mixing seed potatoes with ash, they can be laid immediately, or laid the next day or after several days. When laying, place the seed potatoes between two rows of fertilizer. They must never contact chemical fertilizer to prevent seed rot.

6. Straw covering: Cover with straw immediately after laying seed potatoes. Lay rice straw across the compartment surface, which both prevents seed potatoes in edge rows from being missed and prevents straw from rolling off the compartment edges. For straw covering thickness, generally lay it by hand without pressing tight, without lifting loose, and without leaving gaps, to prevent weed growth.

7. Irrigation: Because dry rice straw absorbs little water and absorbs it slowly, if sunny and high-temperature weather occurs after laying seed potatoes, water promptly or irrigate the compartment furrows with "horse-running water" to moisten the soil and promote uniform and strong seedling emergence.

8. Control of diseases, insects, weeds and rodents: After laying seed potatoes and during the growth period, diseases and insect pests rarely occur and do not require control. However, because of no-till and because weeds are not cleared before laying seed potatoes, there are more weeds at the furrow edges and other places not covered by straw, and a small amount of weeds also grows in the compartments, which can be removed by hand. At the same time, poison bait can be placed at field edges or places where rats may appear.

III. Precautions

1. Uniform seedling emergence: Whether tuber pieces have sprouts or eyes is the key to emergence. If drought occurs after laying seed potatoes, emergence will be delayed; if the straw covering is too thick, "white seedlings" are easily formed and cannot grow out of the straw surface; contact between seed potatoes and chemical fertilizer easily causes seed rot. Therefore, to ensure uniform seedling emergence, seed potato pieces must have healthy sprouts or eyes; the compartment surface should remain moist when laying seed potatoes; the straw covering layer should not exceed 10 cm and should not be less than 7 cm, to prevent light leakage that forms green-skinned potatoes; chemical fertilizer must be band-applied and must never be broadcast.

2. Covering issue: If calculated at a thickness of 8-1 cm, each 667 sq m requires 1000 kg of dry rice straw. When rice straw is scarce, barn manure or other weeds can also be used as a substitute. The covering material must be prepared in sufficient quantity before sowing.

3. Harvest timing issue: When stems and leaves gradually turn yellow and tubers easily separate from stolons, it is the suitable harvest period. If harvested too early, yield is not high and eating quality is poor; if harvested too late, it is easily affected by high temperature, late blight spreads, and many tubers rot. At the same time, because the rice straw further decomposes, potatoes become exposed and form "green potatoes," causing quality deterioration and poor marketability.