Potato yield from 1 hectare. Technology of potato production. Grades (photo)

The importance of this plant for Russia is difficult to overestimate. Potatoes are the most consumed vegetable in our country. 120-130 kg per person per year - a significant figure, and for the production of potatoes we are inferior only to China. This is a strategic culture that successfully ensures the country's food security .

Potato growing in Russia

One of the features of our potato production is the predominance of personal subsidiary plots, traditionally characterized by their low efficiency due to the high proportion of manual labor.

In recent years, large-scale potato production has been developing more actively, demonstrating a much higher yield due to the possibility of applying technologies and scientifically grounded fertilizer norms.

Another characteristic feature of recent years is the reduction in the area allocated for the cultivation of potatoes. But the increase in yields so far allows to completely compensate for the decrease in the planting area.

However, in order to catch up with the developed countries, we have to increase the current yield indicator by more than two times. This is not easy, as competition in agricultural products has intensified, and fuel prices are rising rapidly.

In addition, as usual, the technical support of the industry lags behind. All this has led to the fact that the weakest producers are leaving, unable to withstand competition, and the rest are forced to constantly think about increasing production efficiency.

Russia is the traditional leader in gross potato production, producing 11% of the world's harvest. At the same time 70-80% of the product in raw form goes to personal consumption.

Industrial processing in Russia is very weak, not exceeding a few percent. According to forecasts, the next redistribution of the potato market in Russia will be associated with the development of processing of this vegetable.

The main pests of potatoes

Colorado beetle - one of the main pests of potatoes. On small plots with it are wrestled by hand, collecting beetles, pupae and larvae in a container with kerosene, formalin or strong saline solution. In large areas, 80% dilute or chlorophos is used. The best time for chemical treatment is the beginning of reproduction of the second and third age of the larvae.

Potato nematode often attacks potatoes. Her larvae damage both the roots and tubers of the plant. Nematode cysts are found in the ground, on the roots of potatoes, and contain 200-1000 eggs in each. Externally, the plant looks sick, the lower leaves die, the rest fade quickly. Cysts can remain viable for up to 10 years or more. Quarantined measures are usually observed on infected areas, they do not cultivate leguminous, cereal and vegetable crops for up to four years. Pest control also prevents the use of contaminated seeds and tools that treat the soil.

Wireworm - larvae of beetles-click-beetles, damaging roots and tubers. To combat it, traps are arranged, creating small grassy heaps in the garden. They collect beetles, which are subsequently destroyed. Good weeding also weed control, it is especially important to destroy the couch grass.

Medvedka is a large brown parasite that arranges nests at a depth of 10-15 cm. This pest gnaws everything: roots, stems, tubers, seeds and other root crops. To combat it, you need to dig the soil in the fall to a depth of at least 25 cm. Lures from manure also help. In cases of intensive soil damage, benzophosphate is used.

The fight against potato pests should be at the center of attention of anyone who cultivates it, otherwise you can lose the entire crop.

Profitability of potato business

If you invest 80,000 rubles in production, you can get potato yields from 1 hectare in the amount of 20 tons. At the same time, only 7-8 tons of wheat can be harvested from the same wheat area, which will provide about 60-65 thousand rubles. arrived. In the case of the application of new technologies, the yield of potatoes from 1 ha may reach 80 tonnes / ha, and the income, respectively - 800 thousand rubles!

Experts calculated that it is necessary to grow a profitable potato by 100-240%. The business plan for its production should take into account the field's area of at least 250 hectares, and financial investments - at $ 7 million, and even current assets of $ 0.5-1 million. Last year, the profitability of this business in Russia was 40-60 %.

According to the same experts, the potato growing project pays off on average for 5-7 years, and the intermediate results are not always indicative. Throughout the entire period of operation, systematic and serious investments are needed. For example, the cost of the combine is about 300 thousand euros, the planter costs 80 thousand euros, etc. Soviet technology is already outdated and may lead to damage to the crop.

But all this concerns industrial production. For an individual farm there are schemes with a low level of investment, but also with a lower profitability.

Business plan for a home site

The technology of potato production on a personal plot has its own characteristics. First, let's try to calculate at least an approximate profitability of the potato business in these conditions. To do this, you need to analyze the estimated costs. Then it makes sense to calculate the profit margins, given the average yield of potatoes from 1 hectare and wholesale prices. After this, to get the value of net income, you must subtract the first figure from the second digit. The approximate calculation for a plot of 0.5 ha will look like this.

Motoblock: plow, cultivator, hoger, potato harvester	$ 700
Planting material	$ 600
Fertilizers and protection means	$ 150
Transport	$ 50
Total:	$ 1500

Thus, all the preliminary costs are in the amount of $ 1,5 thousand. With an average yield of 200 kg from a weaving area and an average wholesale purchase price of potatoes of $ 0.2 per 1 kg of sales, you can get $ 2,000 in the first year. Since the technology is not purchased for one year, in subsequent years you can have a much more profitable potato. The price for it, as practice shows, only grows.

Industrial methods of potato production

The technology of potato production using modern methods has already made it possible to significantly improve the efficiency of the potato industry. Now the use of industrial methods of its cultivation is on the turn. This concept means the following principles.

1. The volume of production is planned in advance, and the calculations justify themselves.
2. All qualitative indicators are calculated and set before the planting.
3. Harvest is received in strict accordance with the planned terms.

All this is achieved through the use of industrial methods, consisting of the following elements.

1. Various organizational and technical improvements ensure high productivity, which as a result minimizes the cost of production.
2. The active use of a variety of technological methods allows almost canceling the effect of unfavorable weather conditions.
3. Minimizing the impact of the human factor on the result of the production process through the use of technical means and methods.
4. High average yield of potatoes is achieved through the introduction of management tools and operational control. A great role is also played by technological methods that allow to ensure the planned quantity of products.

Right now, there is every opportunity to switch to industrial methods in potato growing. This is facilitated by the following factors:

• The market needs for a quality product are constantly growing;
• The number of workers in agriculture, as well as their skill level, is decreasing;
• The market of technology makes it possible for the au pair to purchase machines capable of realizing the application of the industrial method;
• Availability of advanced world technical achievements allows to make transition to absolutely new level of cultivation of a potato.

The effectiveness of technical solutions should not depend on the size of the economy and its specifics. The solution of the complex task of transition to industrial methods should be implemented on the basis of the best domestic and foreign experience, as well as highly professional recommendations of specialists.

How to increase the potato yield

There are many factors affecting the yield of potatoes. Below are some of them.

1. The quality of the material for planting should be high.
2. Potatoes always made high demands on the soil, especially to its air regime. That is why it is so important to increase it in time to increase the yield. If you hoe and loosen the planting several times during the summer, even loamy soils are not a hindrance. Do not forget that the best time for hilling - at a plant height of 5 to 20 cm. When hilling the growth of the harvest is due to the increase in the number and size of tubers. If you miss the favorable period for this, the increase in yield will be possible only due to an increase in the mass of tubers.
3. When planting potatoes, row spacing must be at least 90 cm.
4. In the period of flowering and vigorous growth of tubers it is important to provide a large amount of water, 10-15 liters per bush.
5. During flowering and budding, it is good to carry out top dressing. Norms per bush: 3-6 g of superphosphate, 3-4 g of potassium sulfate, 1-3 g of ammonium nitrate, wood or peat ash. It is good to feed bird litter or mullein in order to get quality potatoes. The price of these fertilizers is low. For example, a mullein can be bought at 40 rubles per 5 liters.
6. For recovery during the flowering period, it is recommended to remove diseased bushes, as well as impurities of non-varietal potatoes. This will increase the yield by 10-20% per year.
7. In the phase of budding it is useful to remove all the peduncles, it also increases the yield.

Application of fertilizers for potatoes

First of all, it is important to remember that during growth potatoes draw about 50 kg of nitrogen, 20 kg of phosphorus and 90 kg of potassium from the ground for 10 tonnes of product from the ground. Therefore, it is these mineral fertilizers that should be regularly introduced into the soil so that it does not become impoverished and could provide potatoes with the necessary nutrition.

Nitrogen helps the active growth of the plant, the intake of carbohydrates in the tubers.

Phosphorus increases resistance to drought, develops the root system and accumulates starch in tubers, promotes their early maturation.

Potassium causes an increase in carbohydrates in tubers, increases resistance to weather conditions.

By fertilizing the soil, it is important to maintain the right balance. With a lack of potassium, for example, nitrogen is poorly absorbed. In addition, an excess of any fertilizer can do no less harm than a disadvantage.

According to the terms, it is recommended to make fertilizers in the central regions in July, in the northern - in July-August, and in the south - in June.

Apply organic fertilizers, although they increase the harvest every two years, agronomists do not recommend because of the danger of contamination with scab or the entry of larvae of the May beetle. It is better to use peat compost.

As a fertilizer for potatoes in autumn recommend double superphosphate (1 kg per hundred square meters) and potassium sulfate (2 kg per hundred square meters).

In the spring, it is good to fertilize potatoes with urea and nitrate (1 kg per hundred square meters). You can also use complex fertilizers: nitrofoska 5 kg per hundred and nitroammofoska - 3 kg.

Bone flour is an excellent kind of fertilizer for potatoes in autumn, besides it improves the taste of the product. And at this time it is useful to fertilize the soil with superphosphate and potato kemir, this universal potato fertilizer.

From natural additives, ideally suited for potatoes, it is necessary to name wood ashes. In addition to recharge, it also protects against many diseases and decay. So it's best to start with ash and nitrofos, and then look at the results. Overflow with fertilizers is bad for plants.

The best potato varieties

For planting it is better to take varietal tubers. They are more expensive than accidentally tucked in, but they guarantee a good taste and a healthy harvest.

In any dacha section there are always early ripening potato bushes, which can be dug from the middle of summer. Among the early varieties can be identified, such as Timo, Ariel, Skylark, Snegir, Luck, as well as the middle-aged - Madam and Prizewinner.

A popular once-boiled variety with white flesh Sineglazka has a low potential and is considered to be fodder in Europe.

For those who monitor their health, we can safely recommend such varieties as the Dutch Mona Lisa, Fresco, Romano, German Arosa, Rosara, Feloks, Finnish Timo, Asterix. In these varieties, a lot of carotene, improving vision.

And you can safely navigate to your taste. Scientists have found out that in tasty varieties contains much more amino acids, nucleotides and fatty acids!

In the competition for the best taste, the championship is held by such varieties as Borodyansky pink, Bullfinch, Adretta, Aurora, Golubizna, Vesnyanka, Temp.

Particularly worthy of note is the variety Zhukovsky. Potatoes are referred to early varieties, beautifully growing at low temperatures. It is resistant to many diseases, has a smooth peel, is stored for a long time and has a wonderful taste.

Potato Bellarosa, bred by German breeders, is recommended for cultivation in Eastern Europe. This is an early variety, it can be excavated already on the 45th day. It is very profitable: the yield of potatoes from 1 hectare is 400 centners!

The variety of Bellarosa is almost not susceptible to pests, it is not demanding for moisture, it is resistant to drought, grows on any soil, except for heavy clayey, is non-waste during storage (93%). It has large even tubers, excellent taste and high friability.

How to properly store potatoes

When storing potatoes, it is very important not to allow the tubers to rot or begin to germinate. Therefore, it should be stored in a cool and dry place, which is well ventilated.

Especially it is necessary to be careful in the spring, when tubers lose their mass, their appearance worsens and the quantity of vitamins decreases. During this period, the potatoes should be monitored and regularly checked for damage.

The process of storing potatoes can be conditionally divided into 3 stages.

1. For two weeks, keep in the store at t ^о +15 ^о . At the same time, tubers are healed, and some of them is partially moist.
2. Until the end of winter, potatoes seem to be "asleep", the best t ^o for storage - from 3 to 5 ^o C.
3. With the onset of spring, the tubers begin to prepare for germination. At this time, the storage temperature can be increased by several degrees.

Potatoes - breadwinner

There are a number of stages that can not be ruled out by growing potatoes. The business plan for its production in a small area (about 0.3 hectares) for its economy and sales in the market involves several stages.

First of all, you need to prepare the material for planting. Then it is necessary to carry out all the necessary preparatory work with the soil, only after this it is possible to proceed to the planting of potatoes.

Then follows the stages of hilling and fertilization. It is also necessary to worry about protection from diseases and pests. Harvesting is also a difficult stage of work, after it there are two last actions: packaging and storage.

To do this, you must have at least a minimal equipment. To this minimum is, above all, a mini-tractor. The cutter and the plow must always be included in the kit. Of course, there must be a body for the tractor. Do not forget to purchase a digging device. It will need to be attached to a mini tractor.

It's good to take into account one interesting detail: washed, dried and carefully packed potatoes are sold in the market about twice as expensive as dirty, hastily loaded into ordinary gray and unattractive bags.

Considering this circumstance, you can seriously increase your incomes not only due to the commodity package of your own potatoes. It is possible to organize the packaging of beautifully prepared potatoes from other producers. You can, in principle, build on this your business.

To do this, you must meet certain conditions:

• Presence of constant water supply;
• Large pots for washing potatoes;
• A room where it can be dried;
• Large scales;
• Packages for packaging and labels for them.

Thus, you can organize your own potato business from scratch and make it profitable.