Good results with no-till potato cultivation using chopped straw mulch
In recent years, as the area of mechanized harvesting of late rice and middle rice has expanded, there is more chopped straw after mechanical harvesting. This chopped straw is rather messy, inconvenient to store, and scattered haphazardly in the fields. After spring begins, some farmers burn it all in one fire, which not only wastes resources but also pollutes the environment. In fact, the chopped straw from mechanized rice harvesting can be used to mulch potatoes. Compared with ordinary rice straw, the chopped straw after mechanical harvesting is soft and covers tightly, generally without light leaks, and is even better than unrolled rice straw. Using chopped straw from mechanized harvesting to mulch potatoes requires no plowing for land preparation, no soil covering for sowing, and no digging for harvesting; it is a simple and efficient cultivation technique that has proven effective. This practice can also make full use of rice field resources, turn "idle" into profit, nourish the soil and enrich the field, and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, achieving multiple benefits at once. According to demonstrations in Hucheng Village, Yantang Town, Xinshao County, the average yield per mu reached 1850 kg, with large tubers accounting for 82%, and the proportion of small tubers was significantly reduced, 10% lower than the control. The harvested potatoes have a round and smooth appearance, uniform size, and a low damage rate.
Select good varieties. Choose early-maturing good varieties such as Dongnong 303, which has strong growth, early tuber formation, very early maturity, a growth period of about 60 days (from emergence to harvest), relatively strong resistance, and good waterlogging tolerance.
Fine land preparation. Use winter idle fields after late rice harvest to plant potatoes. First, evenly broadcast 2500-3000 kg of organic fertilizer per mu on the paddy field surface, together with 2.5 kg of urea and 15 kg of superphosphate. Make beds with a bed width of 2 m (including furrows), furrow width 20 cm, and furrow depth 25 cm. At the same time, open the surrounding furrows and main furrows well. Place the furrow soil onto the bed surface and level it evenly.
Sow at the right time. Generally sow from late January to early February. Cut 1 kg of seed potatoes into about 40 pieces. After cutting, let them heal naturally for 2-3 days before sowing. Plant 3 rows per bed, with a row spacing of 60 cm and a plant spacing of 20 cm, planting about 5500 plants per mu, using 125-150 kg of seed potatoes per mu. When sowing, place the tuber pieces evenly on the bed surface according to row and plant spacing, with the eyes facing upward, and ensure the tuber pieces are in close contact with the soil. Cover the tuber pieces with 5-6 cm of chopped rice straw. The covering standard is that after spreading, no tuber pieces are visible when viewed from above, in order to prevent the potato skins from turning green. If you want to bring commercial potatoes to market earlier, you can cover with a layer of plastic film after spreading the straw.
Field management. There is more rain during the potato growing period, so drainage should be timely. In the early flowering stage of potatoes, which coincides with the tuber bulking stage, apply 30 kg of ternary compound fertilizer per mu, or 25 kg of ammonium bicarbonate plus 25 kg of superphosphate, and water in 2 applications at 10-day intervals. During the tuber growth period, strengthen field management to prevent tubers from turning green after being exposed from the mulch, which would affect marketability. During plant growth, pay attention to controlling major pests and diseases such as aphids, cutworms, scab, and viral diseases.
Harvest in time. Potatoes should be harvested when most stems and leaves turn from yellow-green to yellow and the tubers stop expanding. Choose a sunny morning when the soil is relatively dry for timely harvesting. When harvesting potatoes grown by this method, simply pull aside the chopped straw mulch by hand and harvest directly into baskets; after a little sorting, they can be marketed @#@136@#@.