GROW

Potatoes PROFITABLY

P
otatoes can be produced with
success in most areas of South
Africa. In fact, in some regions you
can produce two crops a year. But
fluctuating market prices, high production
costs and the pests and diseases
that threaten the crop make potato
cultivation a high-risk endeavour.
Potatoes are the fourth most important
food crop in the world, after wheat,
maize and rice. They are the second
highest vegetable producer of protein
(second only to soy beans) and have a more
balanced content of minerals and vitamins
than any other major carbohydrate food crop.
Potatoes are not only consumed by man and
livestock, but are also used for industrial purposes.
They may be boiled, fried (crisps and chips), baked,
mashed and used in stews. They are also used as livestock feed and to make
starch, spirits and industrial alcohol.

Climate Speak to the local extension officer as well.

This is a cool weather crop that realises its Sometimes the local co-operative will also
highest yields and best quality in regions be able to help. Potatoes are easily killed by
that have a temperate climate and a long frost, so do not plant a cultivar that has a
average day length during the growing long growing period if there are only three
season. months from the date of planting to the first
Diseases, pests and water stress at any frost.
time while the potatoes are growing are
major constraints to production. Choice of cultivar
Selecting the best cultivar to plant in a
Planting date specific production area and for a specific
This will depend on the climate of the area in purpose depends on several factors. These
which you are going to plant potatoes. Many include:
cultivars don’t yield well if temperatures are • What grows well in areas that have the
too high during the period when they form same conditions and planting date (e.g.
new tubers and increase their size. In fact, irrigation vs. dryland, high/medium/ low
temperatures higher than 29°C during this input, temperatures during the growing
period can actually prevent tubers forming season, day length and soil type).
or increasing in size. The best way to • The purpose of producing potatoes (e.g.
establish when you should plant potatoes general household use, sale, processing).
in your area is to talk to successful potato • Diseases prevalent in the area (e.g. late
producers who are growing potatoes the blight in the cooler and wetter areas,
same way you intend to do (e.g. dryland/ common scab).
under irrigation, with high/medium/low • Length of the growing period (short: 70 —
inputs). 90 days; medium: 90 — 110 days; long:
120 — 150 days).
• Seed potato availability.
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 Production guidelines
Soil preparation
Soil preparation is to break up
compacted soil, incorporate
crop residues, control weeds
and seedbed preparation.
Pre-planting tillage: The
soil should be slightly moist
when tillage takes place to
prevent deterioration of the
soil structure. Cross-rip the
field to a depth of at least A central pivot irrigation system in a potato field.
50cm.
Deep ripping is important as the
plant has a relatively weak root pathogens.
system and is sensitive to compacted Potatoes require a high level of soil fertility,
soil layers. After ripping, the field must so soil that has low inherent fertility must be
be ploughed to a depth of at least 30cm. given high inputs of nutrients from organic
This should incorporate all crop residues or inorganic sources. Before planting, every
to ensure complete decomposition of any field should be extensively sampled to
plant material before the potatoes are determine inherent fertility and variations.
planted. A disc may be used to break any For every two to five hectares to be planted,
clods and level the field. take 20 to 30 topsoil samples (up to 20cm
deep, 500g soil per sample) and five subsoil
Seedbed preparation directly before samples (30 — 60cm deep).
planting: Irrigate lightly before preparing the
final seedbed to ensure the soil is moist at Mix the topsoil samples thoroughly, and
planting and that any remaining clods break take one composite sample of 1kg for
up during tilling. A well-prepared seedbed testing. Do the same with the subsoil
consisting of a 15cm deep layer of loose samples and take one composite sample of
and finely crumbled moist soil. This can be 500g. If noticeably different soil types can
obtained by tilling with either a spring-tined be observed in the field, separate samples
cultivator with a roller, a rotavator or a disc. should be taken of each type, and tested.
Note where the different samples were
Cultivar list taken.
Short grower: Vanderplank. Short-medium
grower: Buffelspoort. Medium grower: BP1. When you send soil samples to be analysed,
Long grower: Mandi (Natal, Eastern Cape), you must also give information about
Up-to-Date. irrigation practices, planting date, cultivar
and target yield.
Fertilisation
Soil properties that influence potato Potatoes have a poor root system, so
productivity include soil chemistry (pH, fertiliser should be applied at the same
soluble salts and inherent fertility), texture level — or just below — that of the seed
(the proportions of clay, silt, sand and tubers in the furrow during planting. Seed
organic matter), and physical condition tubers and fertiliser should not come into
(especially compaction). direct contact. Plant the seed slightly to
the side of the furrow or cover the fertilizer
Pre-plant soil testing is necessary to with a thin soil layer. Where top dressing
determine the chemical status. Potatoes is recommended, apply it on both sides of
are adapted to a wide soil pH range, but the plant just before ridging, then ridge and
it may be necessary to modify the pH irrigate.
to optimize
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production. This can affect 029 Winter Vegetables
nutrient availability and the activity of soil
 Potato plants are ridged after they are
well established (plants 20 — 25cm high),
to ensure that the developing tubers will
be covered with enough soil to avoid sun
damage and to protect them from attacks
by pests and diseases.
Ridging when the soil temperature is high
can damage the plant stems and cause
lower yields. Avoid this by irrigating lightly
before ridging or immediately afterwards.

Harvesting
Potatoes can be harvested as soon as the
tubers have matured sufficiently to resist
mechanical damage. In most cases, the
skin of the tubers will be properly set (or
matured) about two weeks after the plants
have died.
Sorting and classing potatoes for the market. Readiness to harvest may be checked by
digging up several plants from different
Planting areas of the field and rubbing the tubers
Potatoes should be planted when the soil is with your fingers. If the skin rubs off, the
still moist (irrigate before planting), but not tubers should be left in the soil for another
wet. Plant the tubers about 20cm deep in a 7 — 10 days to ensure that the skins have
furrow to which fertiliser has been applied. matured properly. The soil must be slightly
Close the furrow with the soil removed moist when the pota toes are harvested.
during the opening of the furrow and irrigate This will prevent excessive clod formation
dry soil lightly. and subsequent damage to the tubers.
When potatoes are harvested with a potato
The spacing between rows for potatoes lifter, limit mechanical damage to the tubers
grown under irrigation may vary between by paying attention to:
75cm and 100cm, depending on the size of • The depth of the digging blade (to prevent
the tractor and the setting of the implements damaging tubers).
used. Without irrigation (rainfed) the spacing • The speed of the digger chain — adjust
between rows is usually at least 1,25m. it so that some soil remains on the chain
bed.
The space between seed tubers in the • The dropping height behind the lifter,
furrow (row), depends on the size of the which should never be more than 50cm.
tubers. Small seed or “chats” are usually
spaced 15cm apart, while medium-sized Pick up potato tubers as soon as they have
seed (80 — 100g) may be spaced 30cm been lifted from the soil and take them out
apart. of direct sunlight. The keeping ability of
potatoes is adversely affected by exposure
Ridging to direct sunlight and high temperatures.
Ridging (or hilling) is a cultivation practice Never use plastic bags to pick up potatoes.
during which the soil surrounding the young The tubers could “sweat” in the bags, which
potato plants is used to build a ridge or can cause rotting.
hill in which the tubers can develop. This Packaging and washing depends on your
can be done mechanically or with hand market.
implements, depending on the size of the Establish the needs of your target market
planting and the availability of implements. and adjust your harvesting, washing and
packaging practices accordingly.
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 Production guidelines

DISEASES AND PEST CONTROL This damaging disease causes ring spots
Several diseases and pests attack potato on the surface of tubers thus affecting the
plants. Some prominent ones are listed. cosmetic value of the potatoes.
Potatoes expressing PVYNTN symptoms
Bacterial diseases are rejected at the market and are unsuitable
for processing, causing economic losses to
growers.
Weeds may act as a reservoir for the virus.
Several aphid species, such as the green
peach aphid (Myzus persicae), transmit the
virus.
The virus is also readily transmitted
mechanically and by grafting, not by seeds.

Potato common scab.

Common scab. Scab is a cosmetic disease

that results in lowered tuber quality due
to scab-like lesions on the tuber surface.
It occurs in all potato production areas of
South Africa and is most severe in sandy
Potato virus Y.
soils with a pH above 5,5. Scab symptoms
are quite variable. Usually, roughly circular,
raised, tan to brown, corky lesions of Control
varying size develop randomly across tuber • Avoid planting any solanaceous crops
surfaces. Scab is most severe when tubers close to potato fields to prevent transfer
develop under warm, dry soil conditions. of the virus to potato by aphids.
• Regularly scout fields for the first
Control occurrence of symptoms of the disease. If
• Chemicals: Soil treatments (quintozene) feasible, infected plants should be pulled
and tuber treatments. up and destroyed.
• Resistant cultivars. • The use of registered aphicides on a
• Plant scab free tubers. regular basis during the growing season
• Crop rotation (a 4 year cycle) with non- may assist to control aphid populations
host crops. and prevent spreading of the virus.
• Green manuring with Brassica crops. • Regularly weed and destroy all annual
weeds in and around the field, including
PVYNTN (Potato virus YNTN). A new potato those in ditch banks, hedges, fencerows,
virus Y strain, named the necrotic tuber and other places.
necrosis (NTN) strain, PVYNTN, has been
identified as the causal agent of potato
tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD ).

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 Control
• Some insecticides are registered to
control this pest.
• Ridging potatoes and regularly check to
ensure all cracks are covered (prevent
small larvae from reaching the tubers).
• Use seed that is not infected.
• Do not discard old potatoes
on nearby dumping sites.
• Remove volunteer plants from harvested
fields.

Potato leafminer: The potato leafminer is

a small fly that also attacks a wide range of
other vegetables. The female fly damages
plants by piercing leaves with her ovipositor,
causing “stippling”. These “punctures” may
Potato tuber moth. also stress plants. In some of the puncture
marks, the female lays her eggs. A small
cream coloured maggot hatches from an
Potato tuber moth: Moths are nearly 1cm egg and starts to mine between the leaf
long, the wings are grayish, with dark gray surfaces. Severe infestations may give
spots. The moth is active at night and hides leaves and haulms a burnt appearance and
between plants during the day. usually result in foliage dying off prematurely.
This “removal” of green material before the
Moths live for about a week and lay up to plant is ready to die off naturally results in
250 eggs. The larvae are miners and mine yield reduction. Up to 70% yield loss may
through the leaves and tubers. The potato occur. The larvae do not attack tubers.
tuber moth larvae damage both foliage
in the field as well as tubers beneath the
ground and in storage. The moth does not
feed, but lays her eggs on or near plants.
The resulting larvae tunnel or mine into all
plant parts, causing severe yield losses
when the tubers are reached.

If the foliage becomes scarce at the end

of the season, the larvae will go down
cracks in the soil to reach the tubers. They
then tunnel into the tuber, usually just
beneath the skin. If tuber moths lay eggs
Potato leafminer.
on tubers in storage, the damage may be
severe. The eyes (where sprouts form) are
usually attacked first, resulting in no sprout Control
development. This can lead to severe loss Several insecticides are registered to control
of stored seed potatoes. this pest.

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 Production guidelines
Aphids: Aphids are small insects with sucking Eggs hatch when a host plant grows close to it
mouthparts. However, they usually do not and the worms move in the soil water to reach
damage plants by their feeding only. They are the roots. Infected tubers make small galls in
virus vectors that may transmit viral diseases which the female worms and egg sacks are
to healthy plants after feeding on infected found.
plants elsewhere. Planting such a tuber will infect soils with
nematodes. Fallow cultivation, rotation with
After multiplying in such a field, the virus may cereals or grasses and nematicides are some
be spread to other plants inside the same field of the control measures. Lesion nematodes are
by the offspring that have fed on the infected less common but can cause economic losses.
plant. The two most important potato viruses Infected tubers look unhealthy, could have
are Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) and PVY. purplebrown pimples, pustules or wart-like
Tubers infected with viruses may be protuberances.
downgraded under the Seed Certifying Potato cyst nematode infections must be
Scheme. reported to the Department of Agriculture as it
is a quarantine pest.

Aphids on a potato leaf.

Potato tubers infected with root knot
Control nematodes.
•
Some insecticides are registered to control
this pest. Control
• Only seed producers need to control this The only two control actions that are effective
pest. against nematodes are nematicides (applied
at planting time) and crop rotation (see text
Nematodes: These are microscopic, slender below).
roundworms that live in the soil. Nematodes
can damage tubers and limit the transport
of water or nutrients. Locally, the three most ROTATION: DID YOU KNOW?
important nematodes that attack potatoes are Potatoes belong to the family Solanaceae.
root knot nematodes, lesion nematodes and Tomatoes, brinjals, peppers, chillies and
potato cyst nematodes. gooseberries also belong to this family, so
they cannot be used in the same rotation as
Root knot nematodes are the most common potatoes. These plants are sensitive to the
and they prefer a hot climate and sandy soil. same pests and diseases, so they could have a
They survive in the soil for many years in the devastating effect on potatoes if planted with,
form of small eggs. or near to, them.

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 Introduction

RSA sowing and planting chart for the most popular vegetable crops*
Crop Sowing time Transplanting time Harvesting time
Potatoes Aug. Nov.
Sept. Dec.
Feb./Mar. Jun./Jul.
Beetroot Jan./Feb. Thin out at a later stage May/Jun.
Mar./Apr. Jul./Aug./Sept.
Jul./Aug. Nov./Dec.
Green beans Aug./Sept. Nov./Dec.
Oct. Jan./Feb.
Jan. Apr.
Feb./Mar. May/Jun.

Carrots Feb. Thin out 5 — 7 days after germination May/Jun.

Mar./Apr. Jul./Aug.
Jul./Aug. Oct./Nov.
Sept. Dec./Jan.
Cabbage Beginning of Feb. Mar. Jun./Jul.
End of Mar. May Aug./Sept.
Jun./Jul. Aug./Sept. Nov./Dec.
Aug./Sept. Oct./Nov. Dec./Jan.
Sweet Oct. Feb./Mar.
potatoes Nov. Mar. — May
Dec. May — Aug.
Pumpkin Aug./Sep. Dec. — Feb.
Jan. Mar./Apr.
Squash Aug./Sept. Nov./Dec.
Oct. Jan./Feb.
Jan. Apr./May
Lettuce Feb. Thin out 5 — 7 days after germination May/Jun.
Apr. Jul./Aug.
Jun. Sept./Oct.
Aug. Nov./Dec.
Tomatoes Aug./Sept. Oct. Jan. — Mar.
Nov. Dec. Mar./Apr.
Dec. Jan. Apr./May
*Please consult the seed company in your region regarding cultivars, which vary from area to area.

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