All about potatoes.pdf - Vegetableipmasia.org

5.
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
5.5 Hilling up and weeding
When you use mulch, hilling up is not necessary and weeding only involves pulling
up those weeds present in planting holes or furrows between seed beds. When you
do not use mulch, you should weed and hill up at the same time as applying fertilizer.
Do this at least twice in a planting season; at 30 DAP and 50 DAP.
Weed by pulling up weeds directly or by scraping them out of the soil with a hoe,
collecting them and burying or composting them. If there are not so many weeds and
those present are not grasses, dig them out and pile them up around the plants.
Hilling up is done initially by loosening the soil around the potato plants, and piling it
up around the plants. Seedbed height after the first hilling up should be around 30
cm. For the second hilling up, remove soil from the furrows and pile it up around the
plants. You should do this more carefully to avoid damaging the plant roots. Seedbed
height after the second hilling up should be about 60 cm.
Seedbeds for planting in the rainy season should be higher than those used in the
dry season. This is to reduce soil moisture, which can stimulate development of plant
diseases.
Advantages of weeding and hilling up:
• Covers fertilizer and prevents fertilizer loss resulting from evaporation or washing
off.
• Gets rid of weeds thus preventing competition between potato plants and weeds.
• Loosens the soil helping potato plants to better develop roots.
• Makes water flow more easily down the furrows and prevents flooding in the rainy
season.
• Improves environmental condition of the plants and the soil.
• Covers potato tubers forming close to the surface of the soil, hence reducing the
risk of damage from potato tuber moths.
Disadvantages of weeding and hilling up:
• Can damage potato plant root system.
• Can cause lesions on the roots and tubers, thus increasing the risk of disease.
5.6 Water management
5.6.1 Irrigation systems
Irrigation systems are systems that allow water to enter and leave the field. They
should be planned and constructed before planting begins.
Good irrigation systems:
• Prevent the field from flooding.
• Prevent the entry and spread of water-borne diseases.
• Make it easy for water to enter the field when plants need it, especially in the dry
season.
Potato fields should have a minimum of three lengthwise and three transverse water
channels. For each direction this implies two channels at the edges and at least one
in the middle. These channels should be deeper than the furrows between the raised
seedbeds.
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ALL ABOUT POTATOES