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Methods and methods of planting potatoes have been constantly improved in recent years. No one is interested in growing potatoes just for food, as they were grown decades ago. Much easier to buy. This is a very labor-intensive event, and the crops are meager, and even what grows is poorly stored or deteriorates from diseases. More and more gardeners are trying to apply new technologies when growing this most beloved crop among the people. Changes are either in the direction of reducing the effort applied when growing potatoes, or increasing the yield of this vegetable. Planting potatoes according to the Dutch technology allows you to collect about 30-40 tons of potatoes from one hectare of land. That in terms of one hundred square meters is about 300-400 kg. Of course, these figures cannot fail to impress. And many are trying to figure out and understand what the advantages of the Dutch method are and what it actually is.
seed material
The first and main advantage of growing Dutch potatoes is the excellent quality of the planting material.
Firstly, only varietal potatoes are used for sowing, and not re-grading, which is often planted in summer cottages. Varietal purity must be at least 100%.
Secondly, the reproduction of tubers for planting should be at least the second, most often used by the elite and superelite. At the same time, germination and germination should also be kept at 100%.
Thirdly, tubers are planted necessarily in a germinated state. Their size is strictly aligned and is 50-60 mm. At the same time, seedlings should be from 2 to 5 mm long, in this case, when using automated planting, they do not break off.
Aphids are the main carrier of viruses, therefore, as a result, the crop is completely protected from viral exposure.
The most popular Dutch varieties
At present, along with the use of technology, some potato varieties from Holland are popular in Our Country. They are distinguished, first of all, by high productivity, so it is worth taking a closer look at them.
- Agria – an ideal variety for growing in the middle lane. In addition to high yields (about 500 c/ha) and large tubers, it is distinguished by responsiveness to irrigation and dislike for high temperatures.
- Кондор – one of the most common industrial Dutch varieties at the moment, since it allows you to get up to 500 kg / ha with good resistance to drought and various diseases.
- Eba – in addition to decent yields (300-400 kg / ha), it also has a wonderful taste, as well as resistance to pests and drought. The grade is steady against mechanical damages and is well transported.
- Romano – an early variety of potatoes, the ripening period is only 90-110 days. Without special care, using only regular watering, you can collect up to 400 kg / ha.
- Ariel – this variety is not used for industrial cultivation, apparently due to the low (200-300cha) yield. But it will grow even without watering in the conditions of the middle lane, and will delight you with taste and aroma.
An interesting fact is that after numerous variety tests, about 30 varieties of Dutch potatoes were registered in Our Country for cultivation. But despite the use of these productive Dutch varieties, the yield from their industrial use has not increased much. After all, our varieties of potatoes also have a very good yield potential. This suggests that it’s not just about using unique and quality varieties. There are other subtleties, thanks to which the Dutch get their exorbitant harvests.
Land cultivation
The Dutch technology of growing potatoes requires repeated machine tillage with the introduction of large doses of fertilizers and strict adherence to all technologies. What can be taken from all this for an ordinary personal plot?
Potatoes are grown on the field with the obligatory rotation of crops.
Potatoes return to their original place only after 3-4 years. This contributes, first of all, to the purification of the soil from a variety of bacterial and fungal diseases.
In autumn, the land must be cultivated with the application of organic fertilizers, as well as superphosphate (4-5 kg per one hundred square meters) and potassium salt (1,5-2,5 kg per one hundred square meters of land).
In the spring, the earth is milled and urea is added at the rate of 5 kg per one hundred square meters. The most important thing in spring tillage is to loosen the soil well.
Planting potatoes the Dutch way
The Dutch method of planting potatoes is not some super discovery. Much of what they do has been used by us as well. It’s just that the Dutch combined a lot of rather elementary nuances into one clear technological scheme, and combined them with a fully automated landing technology. The result is a purely Dutch technology. What is its essence?
Firstly, the creation of wide row spacing when planting potatoes. Two schemes are used:
- Potatoes are planted in a ribbon of two rows (in fact, our ribbon planting method), between which a symbolic distance of 25-30 cm is left. But between the ribbons, the passage width is 120 cm. This large row spacing makes it easy to use large-sized equipment for both planting and all other automated potato care procedures. Another advantage of this planting is the ability to lay a drip irrigation hose between rows, which allows you to irrigate a double area at the same time and increases irrigation efficiency by at least 40%. In addition, all potato bushes receive the maximum amount of light and air, as they grow, as it were, extreme.
- Potatoes are planted in rows, between which a distance of 70 cm is left. This, too, is quite a rather large distance, which allows machine technology for planting and processing potato bushes. Watch the video of how potatoes are planted using Dutch technology in the Netherlands itself.
With both planting schemes, the most important thing is that the tubers are planted in specially formed ridges, trapezoidal in shape with a clearly defined width and height. The width of the ridge at the base is 35 cm, and its height eventually reaches 25 cm. The ridges look like they have been cut off the top, respectively, the width at the high part of the ridge is 15-17 cm. The tubers are planted almost on the surface of the soil, and the ridges are formed already around the planted tubers. The distance between the tubers is about 30 cm.
This method of planting is quite applicable in personal plots with its division into two periods.
- First, low ridges are made in compliance with all the listed sizes, but about 8-10 cm high. Potatoes are planted in them to a depth of 6-8 cm.
- Two weeks after planting, even before the first sprouts have time to appear, the ridges increase in height to 25 cm with the simultaneous removal of all weeds that have come out during this time.
The Dutch, according to their technology, do not further use the mechanical formation of ridges (additional hilling) – they use herbicides to remove weeds in the aisles.
The most important advantage of such a ridge planting of potatoes is that the potatoes are in well-heated and ventilated loose soil, its oxygen supply increases by 70%. Since potatoes are very fond of loose soils, under such conditions, the root system of the bushes is formed very powerful and strong, which cannot but affect the yield. Moreover, with such plantings, potato bushes more easily resist pest invasions and the spread of diseases.
The video material below shows how the Dutch potato growing technology is put into practice in Our Country.
Care of potatoes
In addition to drip irrigation and mandatory herbicide treatment of row spacings from weed growth, the Dutch technology also provides for an indispensable 5-6-fold treatment with chemicals from late blight. Moreover, the first sprayings begin long before the manifestation of any signs of the disease for purely preventive purposes. Therefore, all the hopes of farmers for the resistance of Dutch potato varieties to late blight did not come true. Since this resistance was not achieved on the basis of immunity, but as a result of a large number of chemical treatments.
Mandatory are periodic treatments from the Colorado potato beetle.
During their development, potatoes are also sprayed with numerous chemicals against aphids, as the main carrier of viral infections.
In Our Country, the method of removing diseased plants from fields is used to combat viral infections.
Harvest
Another technique that Dutch technology is famous for is the mandatory removal of the aerial parts of plants from potato bushes 10-14 days before harvest. This technique allows the tubers themselves to ripen well and form a strong peel, which will help the potato to be stored for a long time and not be so prone to various mechanical damage.
The potato crop itself is harvested early enough to protect it from outbreaks of late blight and other diseases. Ware potatoes are harvested no later than the end of August – the beginning of September. And the timing of harvesting seed potatoes, in general, is very early – the end of July – the beginning of August.
As you can see, besides automated machine processing, planting and harvesting, as well as strict adherence to all technological growing processes, there is nothing super new in Dutch technology. And the yield of potatoes is achieved in no small measure due to the immoderate use of chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary to use the most interesting and useful moments from it and enjoy the magnificent harvests.