Sweet potato cultivation technology and management methods

Sweet potato is a commonly grown grain crop that can not only be eaten raw or cooked, but can also be stored in cellars to preserve its freshness. Sweet potatoes are planted every year at home. Let’s learn about the cultivation techniques and management methods of sweet potatoes.

1. Site selection and land preparation

In order to produce high-quality and high-yield sweet potatoes, it is very important to choose suitable soil. Choose semi-sandy loam with deep and fertile soil, permeability from top to bottom, convenient drainage and irrigation, sunny, and rich in organic matter as the land for growing sweet potatoes. Clear away all kinds of residues in the field, and apply about 3,000 kg of high-temperature-rotted farmyard manure, about 15 kg of nitrogen fertilizer, and about 18 kg of potassium fertilizer per mu. Mix fertilizer into the soil in conjunction with land preparation, tillage to a depth of about 25 cm, and rake the soil into small pieces and make it smooth.

2. Ridge planting

Generally, small plots are planted in flat ridges, but for some larger plots, ridges must be planted to increase yield. The ridges are narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with a ridge height of about 30 cm, a ridge surface width of about 20 cm, a ridge bottom width of 50~60 cm, and a ridge spacing of about 50 cm. The advantages of this kind of ridge making are good drainage function, thick active soil layer, which is beneficial to increase ground temperature and improve soil air permeability.

3. Plant potato seedlings obliquely

Sweet potatoes can be planted early at the appropriate time, and all should be planted before the end of May. Select strong seedlings for planting, and the seedlings should be more than 18 cm long. When planting, plant the seedlings obliquely into the soil at a depth of 8-10 cm, and the planting distance between plants should be 25-30 cm. This planting method generally produces more sweet potatoes and they are larger.

4. Watering for planting

After planting, water the plants. After the water has penetrated, cover the holes with soil to reduce water evaporation. Do not water within 15 days after watering the plants if the soil is not extremely dry. After the seedlings have grown and survived, all the missing holes and missing seedlings should be replanted to ensure that all the seedlings are on the ridges.

5. Cultivation and soil cultivation

After sweet potatoes are planted, the temperature gradually rises and the plants grow rapidly. At the same time, weeds also grow very fast. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out field tillage and weeding, break the soil surface, loosen the soil, increase soil aeration, and reduce the absorption of soil nutrients by weeds.

6. Fertilizer and water management

When the sweet potato enters the tuber root expansion stage, cracks appear on the above-ground part, and fully decomposed manure and urine fertilizer can be poured through the cracks. In the later stage of sweet potato growth, it is also necessary to prevent premature aging of sweet potatoes. You can spray 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution around dusk, once every 7 to 10 days, and spray 2 to 3 times in a row, which is more conducive to the enlargement of sweet potatoes and increase yield. When the weather is particularly dry, the base leaves of sweet potatoes will turn yellow and age prematurely. They should be watered and fertilized in time to meet their growth needs.

7. Control the growth

Sweet potatoes are grown by turning the seedlings to control the growth of adventitious roots, which usually occurs once every 10 days or so. You can also pinch off the tips, removing the tenderer tops of the potato vines at the front, with the tip length being 3-4 cm. Pinching off the tips can effectively control the vigorous growth of potato vines, and the removed tender tips can be eaten.

8. Pest control

Sweet potatoes have fewer diseases and pests, but that doesn't mean they don't have any. For example, for hawk moth and wheat moth, in the initial stage of hawk moth outbreak, spray 2000 times diluted 80% DDT emulsifiable concentrate per acre for control, and control once every 7 days for 1-2 consecutive times. During the initial outbreak of wheat moth, 1000 times diluted 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate can be sprayed at 75 kg per acre after 4:00 p.m., and prevention and control should be carried out every 7 days. Generally, 1 to 2 sprayings are sufficient.

That’s it