Detailed Explanation of the Key Techniques for Potato Cultivation with Chopped Straw Mulch

In recent years, with the expansion of mechanized harvesting of late rice and middle rice, there is a relatively large amount of chopped straw after mechanical harvesting. Using the chopped straw after mechanical harvesting to mulch potatoes, with no tillage for land preparation, no soil covering for sowing, and no digging for harvesting, is a proven simple and efficient cultivation technique.

Select good varieties. Choose early-maturing good varieties such as Dongnong 303, which have strong growth, early tuber formation, extremely early maturity, a growth period of about 60 days (from emergence to harvest), relatively strong resistance, and good waterlogging tolerance.

Carefully prepare the land. Use the winter fallow fields after late rice harvest to plant potatoes. First, evenly broadcast 2500-3000 kg of organic fertilizer per mu on the surface of the rice field, together with 2.5 kg of urea and 15 kg of superphosphate. Make beds with a width of 2 m (including furrows), with furrows 20 cm wide and 25 cm deep. At the same time, open the surrounding ditches and main ditches well. Place the ditch soil onto the bed surface and level it evenly.

Sow at the right time. Generally sow from late January to early February. Cut about 40 pieces from 1 kg of seed potatoes. After cutting, wait 2-3 days for natural healing 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, with about 125-150 kg of seed potatoes per mu. When sowing, place the potato pieces evenly on the bed surface according to the row and plant spacing, with the eyes facing upward, ensuring close contact between the potato pieces and the soil, and cover the potato pieces with 5-6 cm of chopped rice straw. The standard for straw mulching is that after spreading, no potato pieces are visible when viewed from above, so as to prevent the potato skins from turning green. If you want to advance the time for commercial potatoes to reach the market, you can cover with a layer of plastic film after spreading the straw.

Field management. There is relatively more rain during the potato growing period, so drainage should be timely. During the tuber growth period, field management should be strengthened to prevent the tubers from turning green after being exposed from the mulch, which would affect marketability. During the plant growth period, attention should be paid 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.