Potato nutrition advice

Tuber size and uniformity is critical for every market, whether it is fresh potatoes, seed or processing crops. Anything that the grower can do to prolong a healthy leaf canopy will increase the average tuber size.

There are three main criteria which define the quality of potato: tuber quality, skin finish and storage and cooking quality. A balanced crop nutrition program is important to help manage all of these criteria.

Internal spotting of potato is a physiological internal disorder resulting in small brown spots appearing in the tuber. It is usually associated with either poor or interrupted supply of calcium to newly formed and expanding cells.

Potatoes are one of the most important sources of starch worldwide. Variety choice is very important and potatoes with greater than 13% starch content are required in countries such as Germany. The higher the starch content, the lower the waste.

Potato tubers with high dry matter tend to bruising more easily and disintegrate when boiled but have better fry colour when processed. Nitrogen, potassium and magnesium can all have influences on tuber dry matter content.

Discolouration or internal blackening or browning of potato tubers is responsible for significant post-harvest losses. Potassium, magnesium and boron can all have an influence on discolouration and blackening.

A well balanced crop nutrition programme will ensure that plants are robust and resilient, whilst avoiding excessive nutrient build up that can also be detrimental to plant health

Nitrogen applications can have the effect of encouraging foliar diseases, particularly applications later in the season which delay maturity and increase the risk of blight infection.

Balanced crop nutrition can help to improve potato storage and cooking quality.

Potato soft rots are a range bacterial diseases that rot the tubers in storage. Correct crop nutrition prior to harvest, particularly calcium and boron has a positive effect against soft rots.

Whilst the use of fertilisers contributes to the carbon footprint of potato production, this can be significantly reduced by careful choice of the type and source of fertiliser and by using the fertiliser more efficiently.

A healthy, fast-growing potato crop, fully supported by fertiliser, makes more efficient use of water to maximize yields.

A correct balance between macronutrients and micronutrients is essential to obtain the best results possible from potato crops. A deficiency of any single nutrient is enough to limit crop yield.

Potato nutrient requirements vary depending on the crop growth stage. Find out which nutrients are most important at different growth stages.

When growing potatoes the aim of the grower is to produce a high-yielding, quality crop that matches the needs of the intended market.

Correct timing and placement of fertiliser applications to potatoes is important to achieve the highest level of nutrient use efficiency, which also minimises any environmental impact whilst maximising crop productivity.

Petiole analysis allows a more accurate measurement of the available nutrient levels within the potato plant, particularly useful for maintaining phosphate availability above critical levels as well as other nutrients.

Soil analysis prior to planting can be used to predict responses to applied phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur fertiliser. Whereas tissue analysisduring the growing season provides a more accurate guide to a crop’s nutrient status and the likelihood of nutrient disorders or deficiencies, particularly of micronutrients.

There is a wide range of different types of potato with some 85 genera and nearly 3000 species worldwide. The information on this website concentrates upon the ‘white potato’ – Solanum tuberosum – which is the most widely grown potato.

Generally, it is no longer possible to plant a potato crop and aim for a general market. Growers now have to adapt their agronomic management to produce a high yielding crop that fulfills the specific quality requirements of the marketplace.