Skip to main content

Cultivation of Potato


Before going to topic please refer topic "10tips to grow vegetables"

What is the difference between tuber and root?
A tuber is a modified stem that grows in the soil. Potato is one such tuber.

Step by step Cultivation of Potato :
A)Climate: Potato love cool Indian climate(Nov-Jan) below 26C. Don't love high moisture content in soil or rains.

B)Soil: Loves well-drained soils like sandy soils with a high percentage of organic matter. Give high yields in soils which have pH 4.5 to 5.5(slightly acidic).dislikes clay soils.

C)Seed: Approx 1200kg per acre seed required each tuber weighing approx 50g and approx 45mm diameter. Select virus free and disease free seeds from the farmer. Nowadays people cutting potatoes into pieces based on their eyes, it's highly dangerous and results in an unhygienic seed.


D)Duration: 70days under full sunlight. It takes 90days to harvest if there is no proper sun.

E)Spacing: 30cm plant to plant. 60-90cm between rows. The aim is to plant at least 50,000 plants per acre.


F)Feild Preparation: potatoes need more organic content in the soil. It can be grown on compost heap also. While compost gets ready, potatoes come to harvest. Grow green manure before potato crop. Traditional practice is applying 20tons of FYM or 5tons of compost with 500kg of Neem cake.

G)Sowing Method: Sow seed 30cm deep cover some soil. Cover with entire soil gradually along germination and seeing leaves. This gives support to plant. Remember each eye on potato will produce 5-10 potatoes.
https://youtu.be/lYBuY-DnCJc

H)Irrigation: initial irrigation before sowing. Irrigation was required every week. Especially before flowering. Irregular irrigation results in tuber split and irregular growth. Maintain specific time every day at least irrigating deep 20cm soil gives best results. Give mulch for soil if the climate is too hot outside.These plants don't like over irrigation. Overwatering, stagnation leads several viral/fungal diseases and tuber rot.

I)Intercrops: Radish, Garlic, Onion, beans, peas, Mustard and marigold.

J)Harvest: if flower drops it's ready to harvest, it can be prolonged until leaves turn full yellow. The average yield of 11-15 tons of harvest per acre.

K)Pest control :
*Four kg of Neem seeds are powdered and dissolved in 100 litres of water and filtered. Add 10 litres of cow urine and mix it with 50 gm of soapnut powder. Spraying this extract will control many pests and diseases of potato.
*Intercropping with mustard will avoid soil nematode attack
*Install light traps from 6-10pm to overcome white grub and cutworm adult moths in summer.
*Spray diluted Neem oil for Aphids & Mealybugs.

Queries
1.How long potatoes are safe after harvesting?
After 7 days if we keep in normal conditions it tastes sweeter. Loses original taste. Potatoes should be strong (as a rock) when we press in your hand.

2.So no need to look for eyes/ scars n simply plant about 50-gram piece.
If one tuber is affected with virus or disease with a knife(while cutting eyes) it will spread to all tubers. If farmers are professional to take care precautions no issues.But it's impossible in a higher level of cultivation.

3.You said potato is risky for beginners. Due to the cost of cultivation? Or field work involved?
Seed cost, expertise in sowing and predicting harvest time is not so easy for beginners in my view, depending on spacing seed cost may even go up to 40% of total cultivation.

Register with us
For small-scale business, register(buy/sell/exchange) here 

For large scale business, farmers

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Five Layer Shri Palekar Ji Model - 36*36 model for full 1 acre

Huge trees, for example, Mango, Jack-fruit, Jamun, and Amla ought to be planted 36 feet separated. Guava, Chikku, Lemon and Pomegranate saplings can be planted in the middle of the mango plants at a separation of 18 feet. Papaya, Drum-stick, Banana that involve lesser space ought to be planted in a space of 9 feet between the second arrangement of trees recorded previously. The above plants ought to be planted along a similar column over the plot of land leaving space to develop a single assortment of vegetables, millets and so forth on each bed. separate 1 section of land into a break even with squares of 36ft X 36ft. In each piece of 36 ft x 36 ft ( which is additionally separated into four 9ft X 9ft sub-squares) We can grow around 170 trees, in that 9ft x 9 ft part of the land (one sub-square). Plant 1 Banana Tree, 4 Arecanut Trees, 4 Black pepper Creepers getting on Arecanut trees, 2 Coffee Plants, 2 Glirsedia Trees, 2 Venella Creepers hopping on Glirsedia trees

Stone pole fencing Vs Cement pole fencing Vs Iron pole Fencing

Which is best Fencing? (Stone Vs Cement Vs Iron pole Fencing) Height: If your main concern is to protect your farm from theft, above 10 feet height poles required, which stands 8 feet above ground and 2 feet below ground. Size: 4Inch * 6Inch average pole dimension with 8-10 feet length. Barbed wire from TATA wiron Durability: Stone poles are much more durable than cement or iron. Cement poles starts crumble, iron poles often leads to damage due to rust. Especially poles used to support other poles used in corners or usually called as cross pieces must be strong. Only stone poles give sufficient support without damage. Weight: Stone poles have good weight when compared to cement or iron, so it is not easy to theft by a single person. Whereas Iron poles are easy to lift and carry. Distance: Ideal distance between pole to pole is 8 feet. Even in case when the fence wire sags after some period, it can be re-tightened. If distance increases there will be problem with fence wire. Suppor

Companies with Buy Back Policy / Contract Farming can register here

Companies who provide Marketing assistance in selling the crops to the farmers who got into business with them by purchasing the Planting material from them. Other than providing complete marketing assistance, Companies who provide “Buy Back Agreement” in project of “Contract Farming” for some of the crops, which are highly demanded by their associates. In this way, they hereby by associating persons/farmers with them looking for nice profit & growing collectively. With proper network of buyers with them, Companies who provide returns to the farmers/cultivators who purchase the planting material from them and do farming as per their instructions. The crop/crops under buy back agreement are provided with targeted requirement, those companies can register here.