Key Points of High-Yield Potato Cultivation Techniques: Getting These Five Points Right Is Crucial

The potato, also known as the “Irish potato”, together with wheat, rice, corn and sorghum is known as one of the world's five major crops. It contains a large amount of starch, can provide the human body with abundant calories, and is rich in protein, amino acids and various vitamins and minerals, especially its vitamin content, which is the most complete among all food crops. So, what are the key points of high-yield potato cultivation techniques? Getting these five points right is crucial!

1. Select high-quality varieties

Choose varieties with good market demand according to the planting season, crop rotation and market demand. Generally, in plains, hilly areas and low mountain areas, early-maturing varieties such as Zhongshu No. 5, Huashu No. 1, Zaodabai and Favorita should be chosen; in high mountain and sub-high mountain areas, mid-to-late-maturing varieties such as E Potato No. 5 and No. 10, E Potato 13 and 14, Mira and Qingshu No. 9 should be chosen.

2. Sow at the right time

In plains, hilly areas and low mountain areas, the winter sowing period for potatoes should be from the end of December to before early February of the following year (to avoid low-temperature freezing damage after emergence, delay sowing as much as possible), choose sunny weather for sowing, and about 5500 hills per mu for early-maturing varieties. In high mountain areas, the sowing period should be appropriately advanced or delayed according to the impact of snowfall. The sowing depth is 8-12 cm; varieties such as Favorita should be sown deep at 15 cm to prevent the green-skin phenomenon caused by sowing too shallow.

3. Apply sufficient base fertilizer

Potatoes consume the most potassium fertilizer, followed by nitrogen, and the least phosphorus. A yield of 3000 kg of fresh tubers per mu requires the absorption of 16 kg of nitrogen, 6.5 kg of phosphorus and 32 kg of potassium. After winter potatoes are covered with plastic film, topdressing is not easy, so sufficient base fertilizer must be applied all at once. Well-rotted farmyard manure can be applied at about 2000 kg per mu, and chemical fertilizers are generally applied at 100 kg of special compound fertilizer per mu (16:13:16 or 17:6:22), 15 kg of urea and 20 kg of potassium sulfate. Farmyard manure and urea should be applied in combination with plowing and land preparation, and fully mixed with the plow layer soil. Supplement trace elements appropriately.

4. High-ridge cultivation techniques

In areas suitable for mechanized operations, full mechanization of plowing, sowing, management and harvesting is recommended. In plains, hilly areas and low mountain areas, potato cultivation covered with double film (arched shed + plastic film) or triple film (large arched shed + small arched shed + plastic film) can be moderately developed to advance the maturity period to mid-to-late April, seize high prices and obtain high returns.

5. Prevention and control of diseases, pests, weeds and grass

Adhere to the prevention and control strategy of “prevention first, integrated control”, focusing on the prevention and control of potato late blight. For preventive agents, 70% mancozeb wettable powder can be selected, with a dosage of 175-225 grams per mu each time. For fields that have already developed the disease, therapeutic agents should be selected, and in the early stage of the disease, 68.75% Infinito (fluopicolide · propamocarb) 60-75 ml; or 76% Curzate (cymoxanil · mancozeb) 100 grams, etc., should be used for spray control as early as possible.

To achieve high potato yields, early-maturing or mid-early-maturing potato varieties with high yield, disease resistance, excellent quality and good eating quality should be selected according to local climate characteristics, and fresh-eating varieties for export should have good tuber appearance, shallow eyes and smooth skin.