Potatoes

The two key yield components of potato are tuber numbers per unit area, and tuber size or weight.

The numbers of potato tubers produced by each potato plant is influenced by agronomy and varietal potential.

Yara's crop nutrition programmes for potatoes can help you to achieve excellent crop performance and maximise the yield and quality of all potato crops.

Potato tuber size and uniformity is critical for every market, whether it is fresh potatoes, seed or processing crops.

There are three main criteria which define the quality of potato: tuber quality, skin finish and storage and cooking quality.

Skin finish is becoming more important as consumers increasingly demand potatoes with clean, attractive skins, particularly when buying pre-packed or loose potatoes.

Potato bruising is a serious problem in the potato industry and is a major cause of consumer complaint and an economic drain on the industry.

Internal Rust Spot (IRS) also known as Internal Fleck, is a physiological internal defect in which small brown spots, due to cell death, appear in the tuber.

Potatoes are one of the most important sources of starch worldwide.

Dry matter content is important for both fresh markets and processing.

Discolouration or internal blackening or browning of potato tubers is responsible for significant post-harvest losses.

Plant nutrients are predominantly associated with increasing yield and quality through ensuring no mineral deficiency is restricting growth and development.

Nitrogen applications can have the effect of encouraging foliar diseases.

Balanced crop nutrition can help to improve potato storage and cooking quality.

Soft rots are a range of warm weather bacterial diseases, usually Erwinia spp, that enter the tubers through mechanical damage and rots the tubers in storage.

Whilst the use of fertilisers contributes to the carbon footprint of potato production, this can be significantly reduced by careful choice of the type and source of fertiliser and by using the fertiliser more efficiently.

A healthy, fast-growing potato crop, fully supported by fertiliser, makes more efficient use of water to maximize yields.

Yara's liquid fertiliser crop nutrition programmes for potatoes can help you to achieve excellent crop performance and maximise the yield and quality of all potato crops.

A correct balance between macronutrients and micronutrients is essential to obtain the best results possible from potato crops.

Find out which nutrients are most important at different growth stages.

When growing potatoes the aim of the grower is to produce a high-yielding, quality crop that matches the needs of the intended market.

Correct timing and placement of fertiliser applications to potatoes is important to achieve the highest level of nutrient use efficiency.

Petiole analysis allows a more accurate measurement of the available nutrient levels within the potato plant, particularly useful for maintaining phosphate availability above critical levels as well as other nutrients.

Soil analysis prior to planting can be used to predict responses to applied phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur fertiliser.

There is a wide range of different types of potato with some 85 genera and nearly 3000 species worldwide.

Generally, it is no longer possible to plant a potato crop and aim for a general market.

Worldwide, approximately 341 million tons of potatoes are produced every year from around 49 million acres.