Potato

Potato Crop Solutions

Better management of potato nutrition doesn't have to be complicated and is an easy way to improve the profitability of the potato crop. Just like any other crop, potatoes need balanced nutrition and if any nutrient is limiting or unavailable to the plant, growth will be slowed, causing a reduction in yield or quality as a result. Making sure your potatoes are fully supplied with all the nutrients they require is the best way to improve crop yield and ensure good tuber quality.

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It’s important to have the correct nutrition plan in place

Yara Area Manager, Oscar Thacker discusses the importance of having the correct nutrition plan in place for your potato crops.

Can you really not afford to apply calcium?

Trials have consistently shown calcium can improve tuber quality by controlling or reducing a range of disorders. Specifically, calcium has improved tuber skin finish by up to 70%, reduced bruising by around 40% and shown a 75% reduction of internal disorders such as internal rust spot.

Calcium movement within the plant is by mass flow within the xylem system, which means calcium can only ever move upwards. Tuber calcium levels can only be increased by soil uptake not foliar. It is not possible for the plant to move calcium from leaves to tubers.

Solubility is the key to calcium uptake. Surprisingly most of the calcium in soil present in a form that is unavailable to plants. So it is important to apply calcium fertiliser in a form that is readily available to plants. Calcium nitrate is the most soluble form of calcium and the only fully available calcium fertiliser.

Potatoes can only use calcium when it is delivered in a water-soluble form. YaraLiva Tropicote Calcium Nitrate is the only fully soluble calcium fertiliser. Other forms of calcium are much less soluble than calcium nitrate so they are unable to supply sufficient calcium to meet plant needs.

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YaraLiva Tropicote can improve potato quality

YaraLiva Tropicote is a high quality calcium nitrate product for field application. It is a dense granular fertiliser that spreads accurately up to 24 metres by machine or accurately when placed by hand. Watch the video by Yara UK Area Manager John Middleton with the key benefits implementing YaraLiva Tropicote.

Discover the benefits of YaraLiva Tropicote

What is the benefit of using Tropicote calcium nitrate rather than ammonium nitrate as a top dressing on potatoes or brassicas based on the increase in yield and quality?

Try our Tropicote benefits calculator

Available calcium

99.5% of the calcium in the soil is unavailable to plants but 100% of calcium in Tropicote can be used by plants.

Fully soluble calcium

100% of calcium nitrate dissolves in water so it is the only fully soluble calcium fertiliser, unlike other calcium fertilisers.

Potato agronomy advice

Establishing potatoes successfully

As with any other crop, good nutrition is key to securing a healthy potato crop, one that will return good yield and high quality and ultimately achieve a better profit margin for you.

Biotrac helps combat stress in potatoes

There are many types of biostimulants on the market, each with different purposes. Yara's biostimulant products focus on is enhancing tolerance to abiotic stresses such as extreme temperatures or drought. They contain bioactive components that help the plant mitigate the effects of stress.

Biostimulants increase marketable yield of potatoes

Biostimulant products trigger natural plant processes that enhance nutrient use efficiency. Improved plant growth and abiotic stress tolerance help the plants to remain vigorous in hostile growing conditions so the farmer can generate better yield and quality.

See all agronomy advice

Check if your potatoes have a nutrient deficiency

Identify and diagnose if your potatoes are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and learn how to control or correct the deficiency. Choose a nutrient below to learn more about the symptoms of its deficiency in cereals and its effect on crop growth and development.