potato (agricultural science)

PotatoSolanum Tuberosum

What is a

Potato?

A potato has TWO

sides, A and B.

Side A originally

connects to its mother plant.

Side B  develops

terminal buds.

• Its roots are adventitious (because they are not developed from the seed radicle).

• The offsprings are produced asexually

1. Rice 2. Wheat3. Maize4. Potato

Potatoes are the world's most widely grown

tuber crop

Botanical Descriptio

n

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Subclass: Asteridae

Order: Solanales

Family: Solanaceae

Genus: Solanum

Species: S. tuberosum

Leading Producers

• China• Russia• India• Ukraine• Belgium

• Germany• Poland• United States• Netherlands• France

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 321 kJ (77 kcal)

Carbohydrates 19 g

Starch 15 g

Dietary fiber 2.2 g

Fat 0.1 g

Protein 2 g

Water 75 g

Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.08 mg (6%)

Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.03 mg (2%)

Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.1 mg (7%)

Vitamin B6 0.25 mg (19%)

Vitamin C 20 mg (33%)

Calcium 12 mg (1%)

Iron 1.8 mg (14%)

Magnesium 23 mg (6%)

Phosphorus 57 mg (8%)

Potassium 421 mg (9%)

Sodium 6 mg (0%)

NutrientWithout skin

(156 g) (% RDA)With skin (173 g)

(% RDA)

Vitamin C 33 28

Thiamin 11 7

Niacin 11 12

Vitamin B6 23 27

Folate 4 12

Pantothenic Acid 9 7

Iron 3 10

Magnesium 10 12

Potassium 17 26

Copper 17 10

Dietary Fiber 9 15

raw baked (skin on)

boiled (skin on)

boiled (peeled)

fried (deep-fried)

potato chips

protein 2.1 g 2.3 g 1.9 g 1.7 g 4.0 g 6.6 g

carbohydrates 18 g 25.2 g 20.1 g 20 g 39.6 g 48.5 g

fat 0.1 g 0.1 g 0.1 g 0.1 g 10.6 g 35.4 g

fiber 1.5 g 2.3 g 1.5 g 1.4 g 0.8 g 1.4 g

vitamin C 19 mg 13 mg 13 mg 7 mg 11 mg 58 mg

calories 79 109 87 86 315 539

per 3.5 oz/100 g

• Freshly harvested potatoes retain more Vitamin C than stored potatoes. • The cooking method used can

significantly impact the nutrient availability of the potato.

Potato can be very toxic

• Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids

Glycoalkaloids • may cause headaches,

diarrhea, and cramps, migraines, coma and death can occur.

Potato is beneficial to

health

Raw potato juice can be used as a calmative and to relieve gastric ulcers.

Potato is used to treat inflammations, sunburn and other burns, and cracked skin.

Varieties•Adirondack Blue•Adirondack Red•Agata•Almond•Amandine•Anya•Arran Victory•Atlantic•Bamberg•Belle de Fontenay•BF-15•Bildtstar•Bintje•Blue Congo•Bonnotte•Cabritas•Camota•Chelina•Chiloé•Cielo

•Clavela Blanca•Désirée•Fianna•Fingerling•Flava•Golden Wonder•Innovator•Jersey Royal•Kerr's Pink•Kestrel•King Edward•Kipfler•Lady Balfour•Linda•Marfona•Maris Piper•Marquis•Nicola•Pachacoña

•Pink Eye•Pink Fir Apple•Primura•Ratte•Red Norland•Red Pontiac•Rooster•Russet Burbank•Russet Norkotah•Selma•Shepody•Sieglinde•Sirco•Spunta•Stobrawa•Vivaldi•Vitelotte•Yellow Finn•Yukon Gold

Uses of Potato

• Used to brew alcoholic beverages such as vodka, potcheen, or akvavit.• Used as food for domestic animals.• Used in the food industry

(thickeners and binders of soups and sauces)

• Used in the textile industry (adhesives)

• For the manufacturing of papers and boards

• Used in culinary purposes (mashed potatoes, French-fried potatoes or chips, whole baked potatoes, Rösti or potato pancakes, grated and formed into dumplings)

• Used for medicinal purposes

Cultural Managem

ent Practices

Pests and

Diseases

Diseases:• Phytophthora infestans (late

blight)• Rhizoctonia • Sclerotinia • black leg • powdery mildew • powdery scab • leafroll virus  • purple top• Potato Brown Rot

Pests• Colorado potato beetle  • potato tuber moth • green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) • potato aphid• Flea Beetle• leafhoppers • thrips  • mites • potato root nematode 

– a microscopic worm that thrives on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, crop rotation is recommended.

Pest and Disease Control• Plant certified seed potatoes

(healthy tubers only)• Spray fungicides

(Chlorothalonil or Bordeaux)

Early Blight

Late Blight

Harvesting

• Tubers should be handled as gently as possible at all times with minimal drops. Harvesters should be adjusted and operated so that all chains are full. Carry enough soil over the primary digger chain to adequately cushion potatoes. Maintaining full chains will minimize bruising. Proper harvester operation calls for skillfully balancing ground speed with blade depth and proper chain speed.

• Avoid harvesting when soil temperature is below about 45o F at tuber depth. Cold tubers are very susceptible to shatter bruise and mechanical injury. During cold weather, harvest later in the day and continue into early evening when soils are warmest. Avoid wet, muddy situations when possible. Wet or mechanically damaged tubers tend to store poorly.

• Gardeners usually dig up potatoes with: long-handled, three-prong "graip" (spading fork)a potato hook, which is similar to the graip but

with tines at a 90 degree angle to the handle. • In larger plots, the plow is the fastest

implement for unearthing potatoes.• Commercial harvesting is typically done with

large potato harvesters, which scoop up the plant and surrounding earth.

Spading Fork

Potato Hook

Potato Harvester

CuringSkin-set: the skin of the potato becomes resistant to skinning damage. Curing:• done after harvest to improve skin set• allows the skin to fully set and any wounds to

heal.

• normally done at relatively warm temperatures 50 °C (122 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F) with high humidity and good gas-exchange if at all possible

prevents infection and water-loss from the tubers during storage.

Storage• The storage area is dark, well

ventilated and for long-term storage maintained at temperatures near 4 °C.

• For short-term storage before cooking, temperatures of about 7 °C to 10 °C are preferred.

• Potatoes can be stored for up to ten to twelve months

• A potato storage should have adequate insulation, outside waterproofing, inside vapor proofing, ventilation, air distribution, adequate humidification, and properly designed controls for precisely maintaining the storage atmosphere.

• Potatoes can be stored in pallet boxes for short periods.

• Store at 40 to 42 F with 95% relative humidity

Cultivation and Weed Control

• Control weeds by shallow and frequent cultivation.

• Deep cultivation may cut potato roots and slow growth. When plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, begin to mound soil around the bases of the plants to start forming a ridge or hill.

Seed Selection• Use only certified disease-free seed. • The potato seed is not a true seed, but modified stem

tissue known as a tuber.• The true seed of the potato occurs in the small, inedible

orange fruit the plant produces during mid-season.• Some feed and garden stores sell B-size seed-small tubers

weighing 1-1/2 to 2 ounces. These tubers should not be cut before planting. If 4 to 6 ounce or larger tubers are used, cut them so that each piece is block shaped, contains at least one good eye or bud and weighs about 1-1/2 ounces.

• Plant immediately after cutting.

Soil Requirements• A well drained, fine sandy loam soil,

high in organic matter, is preferred.• Potatoes need a moist, acidic soil

with a pH of less than 6. Soils with a higher pH tend to harbor potato scab, a fungal disease that lives in the soil for many years.

Temperature Requirement

They prefer COOL weather

(higher than 28 F but lower than 90 F)

Planting• Plant the seed in shallow trenches 3-1/2 to

4-1/2 inches deep and cover with an inch or two of soil.

• The seed pieces should be spaced 9 to 12 inches apart in rows 28 to 34 inches apart.

• Nine to 12 pounds of seed will be needed for each 100 feet of row when 1-1/2 to 2 ounce seed pieces are planted 12 inches apart.

• Plant your seed potatoes (sprouted tubers) after the risk of frost

Fertilizer Practices• Liberal amounts of fertilizer are

required for large yields of potatoes. • Potatoes usually respond to band

applications of P.• Potatoes require high levels of K and S• Too much fertilizer, especially

nitrogen, can over stimulate vine growth and delay tuber set and maturity.

Growth and Cultivation1st Phase:  Sprouts emerge and root growth begins.2nd Phase: Photosynthesis begins as the plant develops leaves and branches.3rd Phase: New tubers develop4th Phase: Tuber bulking5th Phase: Maturation

Hilling• Potato cultivation and ridging or "hilling" are

performed simultaneously. • Ridging provides a number of advantages

including reduced sungreening, improved weed control within the rows, and improved harvest conditions. Ridges are typically broad and 8 or 10 inches tall.

• Ridging or hilling: piling additional soil around the base of the plant as it grows