Potato: consumer market requires care with tuber standardization
Producing with quality is essential for the farmer to meet the expectations of the current market. In potato cultivation, tuber size standardization and bark gloss are consumer demands and deserve special attention from the producer. These aspects are directly influenced by environmental factors and phytosanitary, water and nutritional management of plants, which can impact productivity.
In Poços de Caldas (MG), potato producer Cleberson Delgado says that for 14 years he uses natural solutions based on plant extracts, amino acids and nutrients in its nutritional management. "I can
observe better quality of potato skin and size standardization, besides greater weight in the final tuber," he points out.
Agronomic engineer Marcos Revoredo, Alltech's Crop Science technical manager, explains that this is because "these tools reduce plant physiological stress and improve plant hormonal balancing, promoting the redirection of photo-assimilates, which are in reserve leaves and Of the stems of the plants, for the tubers. What will allow your best development. "
According to the expert, there are two key phases for the standardization of potato size for fresh market and dry matter in potato for industrial processing. The first is the beginning of tuberization. "At this moment the plant had a very significant vegetative growth and the number of tubers will be defined. The solutions will stimulate this emergence ", he points out.
The next step is the beginning of tuber growth. "The second application happens when the tuber structure is already formed. The objective is to aid development and more standardized growth, "he adds. According to Revoredo, conventional practices, such as good soil preparation, adequate fertilization and sanitary control are also extremely important.