Detailed Explanation of the Double-Row High-Yield Potato Cultivation Technique with Ridging

The double-row high-yield potato cultivation technique with ridging is a comprehensive high-yield potato cultivation technique based mainly on deep loosening, ridging with deep fertilizer application, and rational close planting in double rows. It generally increases yield by more than 15% compared with conventional flat-bed cultivation, and raises the marketable rate of qualified tubers by more than 20%. Main technical points:

1. Select suitable varieties

At present, the main varieties promoted for planting in the south are Sishu No. 1, Atlantic, Jinkou 303, Holland No. 7, Holland No. 15, Dongnong 303, Kexin No. 4 and other early-to-mid maturing, high-yield, high-quality potato varieties.

2. Strictly select the site and prepare the soil finely

Choose sandy loam with convenient drainage and irrigation, deep soil, and medium or higher fertility for planting (the preceding crop is best late rice), and strictly avoid waterlogged low-lying land. Before sowing, carry out deep ploughing and fine harrowing, with deep turning of more than 25 cm. This can make the soil loose and well aerated, and can improve the soil's water storage, fertilizer retention and drought resistance, creating good conditions for full development of the potato root system and tuber enlargement.

3. Cut the seed potatoes and ensure proper disinfection of seed potatoes

When cutting seed potatoes, longitudinal cutting is required, and the cut seed pieces must be no smaller than 0.025 kg and have 2 or more eyes. The purpose is to ensure that every seed piece can grow strong sprouts. It is best to use 2 knives for cutting the seed potatoes, and be sure to disinfect the knife edges with a 0.5% potassium permanganate solution to avoid cross-infection of rot-causing pathogens. Disinfection of seed potatoes is the most effective method for preventing tuber rot and ensuring the emergence rate, and is also one of the effective measures for preventing late blight. The disinfectant formula is: 100 kg double-flying powder + 2 kg thiophanate-methyl + 2 kg carbendazim + 100 g new streptomycin. One kg of the well-mixed disinfectant can treat 100 kg of seed potatoes.

4. Ridging procedure

Before sowing, first use animal power to open furrows and form ridges at a width of 1.5 m (furrow width 0.2 m), then sow in a staggered "pin" shape at a row spacing of 0.2 m and a plant spacing of 0.15 m, planting about 5,000 plants per mu. When sowing, place the cut side of the seed piece upward and the sprout downward, which helps early rooting, early nutrient uptake, and the cultivation of strong seedlings, laying the foundation for increased yield. In conjunction with sowing, apply sufficient basal fertilizer, using 50 kg per mu of ternary potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, so that the potatoes can take up fertilizer as soon as they root and have sufficient nutrient supply throughout the entire growth period. The basal fertilizer is applied in bands, placing the fertilizer in the middle of the ridge, that is, between the two rows of seed potatoes, to avoid seed potatoes touching the fertilizer and causing seed rot. In this way, sowing, fertilizing and covering soil to form ridges are done at the same time. Generally, the ridge height is 25-30 cm, the ridge surface width is 60-65 cm, and the ridge base width is 90 cm. According to statistics, using this assembly-line method to plant potatoes requires 4 labor-days per mu, which is 4-5 labor-days fewer than farmers' customary flat-bed planting, and the work efficiency is more than doubled.

5. Field management

(1) On the second day after sowing, while the soil is still moist, spray herbicide to prevent weed seedlings from growing and competing with potatoes for fertilizer. Use 0.2 kg butachlor and 0.08 kg acetochlor per mu, mix thoroughly with 40-60 kg water, and then spray on the soil surface.

(2) Water management. During the entire potato growth period, uniform moisture is required and the soil should be moist. It should be kept at a moisture level where soil squeezed in the hand can form a ball and then break apart when dropped. Such humidity is favorable for potato emergence and tuber growth and enlargement, prevents tuber cracking, and improves the marketable rate. In case of drought, promptly irrigate with running water; flooding irrigation is not suitable, to prevent tuber rotting, and in case of rain be careful to prevent water accumulation.

(3) Intertillage and hilling. After full emergence, carry out the first intertillage as early as possible to loosen the soil, preserve moisture, eliminate weeds, promote root development, and enable the seedlings to grow vigorously. In order to meet the needs of potato tuber development, when the seedlings are 20 cm tall, carry out a second intertillage and fertilization, applying 40 kg per mu of ternary potassium sulfate compound fertilizer and 10 kg of potassium sulfate fertilizer, and carry out hilling. When hilling, be careful not to bury the lower leaves, so as not to affect photosynthesis and cause reduced yield. The hilling should be thick to prevent tubers from being exposed to light and turning green, which would affect tuber quality.

(4) Combine disease control with foliar fertilizer spraying. When planting potatoes in rice fields in winter in the south, there are generally no insect pests. At the early flowering stage, full flowering stage and tuber enlargement stage, spray 30 mL of triacontanol per mu as foliar fertilizer to promote plant growth, improve photosynthetic efficiency, speed up nutrient transport, and promote tuber enlargement. At the same time, use 0.05 kg carbendazim, 0.05 kg new streptomycin, 0.01 kg potassium permanganate, 0.05 kg mancozeb, and 0.2 kg monopotassium phosphate per mu, mix with 50-60 kg water and spray to control late blight and improve plant disease resistance, prevent premature senescence, and thereby achieve the goal of increasing yield.

6. Timely harvest

When the potato leaves naturally turn yellow and wither, they can be harvested. At harvest, use a method combining animal power with human labor: first shallowly plough once along the edge of the furrow, then plough once more deeply inward, and then use a hoe to dig the potatoes by hand, and pile them separately according to size grade. This human-and-animal combined harvesting method saves time, labor and effort, is less likely to cut and damage the potatoes, improves work efficiency, and reduces mechanical damage, thereby increasing the marketable rate.