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What are the control methods for dream potatoes in potatoes?

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After potato sprouts emerge, if affected by low temperatures, the young sprouts swell and form small tubers called dream potatoes, commonly known as "carrying eggs." In production, farmers mistake this phenomenon for a sign of excellent seed potatoes, early maturity, and high yield, but in fact dream potatoes no longer sprout and emerge. They generally cause about 10% missing plants, seriously affecting yield and benefits. 1. Causes Potatoes can only germinate and sprout when the soil temperature is not lower than 4°C, and the young sprouts can only grow at 5-7°C. Generally, seed tubers that have been treated before sowing have already reached a temperature of about 6°C. If sowing

After potato sprouts emerge, if affected by low temperatures, the young sprouts swell and form small tubers called dream potatoes, commonly known as "carrying eggs." In production, farmers mistake this phenomenon for a sign of excellent seed potatoes, early maturity, and high yield, but in fact dream potatoes no longer sprout and emerge. They generally cause about 10% missing plants, seriously affecting yield and benefits.

1. Causes

Potatoes can only germinate and sprout when the soil temperature is not lower than 4°C, and the young sprouts can only grow at 5-7°C. Generally, seed tubers that have been treated before sowing have already reached a temperature of about 6°C. If sowing is too early and the soil temperature is lower than the temperature of the sprouted seed pieces, the young sprouts stop growing after sowing; if after sowing the soil temperature can meet the needs of young sprout growth, but a sudden low temperature causes the young sprouts to stop growing while the nutrients in the seed pieces continue to be supplied, the nutrients are then stored and cause the young sprouts to swell and grow into small tubers, namely dream potatoes.

2. Preventive measures

1. Plastic film mulching. Using plastic film mulching or double-film mulching cultivation can both increase soil temperature, prevent the occurrence of dream potatoes, and advance the market date.

2. Sow at the appropriate time. According to the requirement that the temperature of the 10 cm soil layer stably passes 5°C at sowing and that seedlings are not damaged by freezing after emergence, open-field potatoes in the Hanzhong Basin are best sown in late February, plastic-film potatoes are best sown in mid-January, and double-film potatoes are best sown in early December.

3. Practice ridge cultivation. Ridge cultivation can both increase soil temperature and improve soil permeability.

4. Sow appropriately deep. In order to prevent the impact of cold waves on potatoes, sowing can be done appropriately deep (a depth of 12-15 cm is suitable) to prevent the occurrence of dream potatoes.

5. Cover with farmyard manure. After sowing the sprouted seed pieces, first apply farmyard manure in a concentrated manner in the furrows to cover the seed pieces, and then cover with soil.

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