Dries potato tops. How to determine the readiness of potatoes for harvesting (maturity of tubers)

At home, in the Andes, potatoes are a perennial plant. But in our climate, already at a temperature of -1 ° C, the conversion of starch into sugar begins in the tubers, which makes the taste much worse. On the other hand, it is a pity to dig out unripe, small potatoes, and in the winter because of unformed rind, it is poorly stored. To collect the maximum yield before the onset of frost, it is necessary to accurately determine when the potato stops growing.

Signs of stunting.  Flowering - a turning point in the development of potatoes. From the moment of emergence and before flowering, the tops grow much faster than the tubers, then the growth of the green mass slows down and gradually stops, and the plant gives most of its strength to the potato.

The purpose of potato tops is to supply tubers with photosynthesis products. In the yellowed, withered leaves and stems photosynthesis is impossible. Hence the logical answer to the question of whether the potatoes grow, if the tops are dried: of course not, because the tubers have no other place to take nutrients.

Determination of harvest time

After the tops of the tops of the potatoes in the ground are covered with a dense skin, so the plant is preparing for the winter. If you do not dig up the potatoes for two weeks, it may start to rot.

However, there are no rules without exception: tops of some varieties, especially later ones, can almost remain green and strong until frost. Often this happens on well-fertilized soils. The weather also affects the state of the shoots: heavy rains at the end of the growing season lead to the fact that the already wilted tops have come to life again and are growing. Because of this, the taste of the potato spoils: actively growing shoots draw off useful substances instead of giving them to tubers.

If the frosts are approaching, and the tops have not yet dried, it is better to hurry with the harvest. You should not wait for the complete withering of shoots affected by blight. It's easier for 10–14 days before digging up potatoes to mow the tops. Removal of the green mass will signal the cessation of potato growth and degradation of the peel.

Chemicals to accelerate the drying of the tops

When the shoots dry out naturally, the nutrients and moisture they contain go into tubers. If you mow very fresh tops, the potatoes will receive less of the due vitamins and microelements.

Therefore, many growers use chemical agents that provoke the premature wilting of the leafy tops. Such drugs are classified according to the type of effect on the shoots:

• desiccants - chemical compounds that dehydrate tops;
• means for the centering - desiccants, accelerating the process of natural aging and wilting of the tops.

The most common desiccation methods are:

• spraying with 0.5% solution of copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters of water). The procedure is carried out 2 weeks before cleaning;
• spraying with a 2% solution of magnesium chlorate. The processing of one weave requires a solution of 200 g of magnesium chlorate in 10 liters of water. Leaves dry in 3–5 days after spraying.

Concentrated solutions of complex fertilizers, which act more slowly and more sparingly than conventional desiccants, are used for the curing process. Due to this, the tubers receive the maximum amount of nutrients from the tops.

Senication can increase potato yield by 10–15%.

The most popular preparation for the centering - a concentrated solution of superphosphate. For its preparation you need 2 kg of fertilizer per 10 liters of water. Superphosphate dissolves very slowly, so the suspension is prepared 2-3 hours before use. Fertilizer poured into the container, pour water and thoroughly stirred. After 1.5-2 hours, the liquid is poured into another vessel, and the precipitate is stirred. Both parts of the suspension are combined only after complete dissolution of all the granules.

Acceleration of potato ripening

Vegetable growers usually focus on ripening terms established for different types of varieties:

• up to 65 days - early;
• 65–80 days - medium early;
• 80–95 days - mid-season;
• 95–110 days - medium late;
• 110 - 120 days are late.

The problem is that these dates were calculated for ideal conditions. If the potatoes are planted in an insufficiently heated land, it will sprout and mature much later. In heat above +30 ° C, tuber development stops.

In order for the growth of potatoes to stop, the weather conditions and the nature of the soil must be taken into account. The easiest and most affordable way to accelerate the ripening of potatoes is to plant it not just with tubers, but with seedlings.

Seedlings are grown from whole or sliced ​​potatoes, even from the eyes. The meaning of the method is that you need to plant a ready-to-start plant in the ground. If the spring is cool, it is recommended to use a film, spunbond or install small greenhouses above the potato beds.

A variety of growth regulators help accelerate the development and maturation of potatoes for at least a week. Typically, these drugs have a complex effect: strengthen the immune system of plants, protect them from fungal and viral infections.

The most popular growth regulators:

• "Poteytin" - low-toxic agent that increases the yield by 25%. It is used for preplant treatment of tubers and spraying during the growing season;
• Agat-25 K is a biological product with a fungicidal action, containing pseudobacterium Pseudomonas aureofaciens. Used for pre-treatment;
• Novosil is a remedy with triterpene acids (based on Siberian fir extract). It is used for spraying during the growing season.

Probably every summer resident ever had to deal with such an unpleasant phenomenon as the premature wilting of potato tops. If shortly before harvesting, such a process is natural, then at the beginning and in the middle of the growing season, it clearly indicates that something is wrong.

Causes of premature yellowing of the leaf may vary. Often this is due to constantly increased or decreased air temperature, lack of important trace elements in the soil - nitrogen, phosphorus, etc. In the worst case, yellowing indicates an attack of pests or plant disease. Let's understand in order.

Climatic factors

Yellowing of potato leaves occurs very often during arid hot seasons. Remember the summer of 2010 with its temperatures from +30 to +40 C and above. Some bushes on the beds were almost completely yellow.

At temperatures above +30 C in potato bushes, metabolic processes are disturbed, which further leads to a sharp decrease in yield.

In addition to temperature, humidity plays a huge role. The optimal level is 70%. Most of the moisture required for potatoes in the flowering period.

When the tubers begin to actively form, it is very important to ensure that sufficient air enters the soil. During this period, should take care of loosening.

Lack of nutrients

Yellowing of potato tops can occur due to the systematic lack of nutrients in the soil necessary for the growth and development of the plant. Most often, the problem is caused by a lack of the following trace elements:

• Nitrogen  necessary for potatoes to build a strong green mass and the harmonious formation of tubers. With its lack of leaves at first noticeably pale, then turn yellow, dry and fall off. Add nitrogen fertilizers preferably even when planting potatoes at the rate of 50 g per 10 kg of root crops.
• Iron  and manganese  - Two inseparably connected elements, with a significant lack of which the plants quickly begin to fade. Correct the situation will help watering potato bushes at the root of the following composition: 5 g of potassium sulfate to 10 liters of water. It is also recommended to spray the bushes with a solution of copper sulfate at the rate of 50 g of vitriol per 10 liters of water. Feeding is carried out once a week until the situation is normalized.
• Potassium  directly affects the health of plants, the taste of future fruits and the duration of their storage. With insufficient intake of this microelement, there is a violation of the processes of photosynthesis, the plants become more painful, suffer arid periods worse. To avoid such a development of events, in the fall when digging a plot or in the spring, add potassium sulphate to the soil at the rate of 1 kg per 1 hundred square meters.
• Phosphorus  essential for root development. This element is responsible for the accelerated development of tubers and their saturation with starch. As in the case of potassium, when phosphorus is deficient, plants tolerate hot weather much worse. With a shortage of this microelement, potato bushes develop worse, many leaves on them may turn yellow. To prevent this from happening, in the autumn one should take care of introducing superphosphate into the soil at the rate of 900 g per 1 hundred square meters.

Overdoing with mineral fertilizers also should not be. Their excess can also most negatively affect the condition of potato tops.

Diseases

Yellowing of the leaves may indicate damage to plants by various diseases. First of all, the following diseases can be distinguished:

Pests

With a strong pest damage, shoots of potatoes may also turn yellow. Yellowing is most often associated with the activity of the following insects:

If you notice a significant amount of yellowed leaves, first of all, pay attention to the following points:

• How much (and how often) fertilizer you applied.
• What is the regularity and volume of irrigation.
• What the weather is worth.

If everything is fine with this, take a closer look: if there are any signs of a disease or pest on diseased leaves. If the concerns are confirmed, follow the appropriate steps to treat or remove the plants.

If you notice even a slight yellowing on the potato bushes, carefully observe if the yellowness does not spread to other parts of the plant or to the neighboring bushes.

According to the tops of potatoes, one can judge the future harvest. If a potato topper turns yellow then this is the first (late blight). As a rule, late blight begins to appear during the flowering (budding) of potatoes. After yellowing potato tops  leaves start to wither and the bush to dry prematurely. The crop at the same time decreases almost twice. At the initial stage of this disease, the leaf surface should be treated with water with a certain concentration of copper sulfate in it. At the advanced stage of this disease, the only way out of this situation will be to burn the leaves in the process of harvesting potatoes and then sort the tubers from these bushes. Signs of potato phytophthora can be determined during the germination of seed tubers in sunlight. Infected tubers do not withstand the influence of ultraviolet radiation and begin to rot already on the 7-10th day. Also due to lack of potassium and phosphorus due to depleted soil. The main danger of phytophtoras is to reduce the growing season of potatoes by almost two times. Yield from such contaminated sites rarely exceeds 250 kg per hundred (250 centners per hectare). Tubers in such bushes are small, because the bulk of the nutrients accumulate in the stem of the potato bush, and he, in turn, does not have time to gain the necessary mass. As a rule, one stem is 1 tuber. By the number of stems in the bush, you can indirectly determine the number of main tubers in this bush. And the mass of the stem - respectively, about the mass of the tuber. I want to immediately notice that we are talking about an elite potato, because A degenerate potato variety usually has a greater number of tubers, to the detriment of their quality. Earlier, about five years ago, I came across bushes, where the number of tubers reached 20 pieces. But the size of the tubers in such bushes did not exceed the size of the tenis ball, or even less. If the stem is thin, this is the first sign of nitrogen deficiency (assuming good watering). If in the search engine enter the query: "forum" you can immediately find several sites with questions and discussions on similar topics. But the conclusion in most of them will be exactly the same. I remember well that year when almost half of the plot of potato tops turned yellow and withered almost during budding (flowering). This is another reason why I am now i germinate potatoes in advance in the sunlight  . Planting tubers of potatoes that are affected by late blight, even before planting will make themselves felt. It will be easy to reject them during the landing. With one wave of my hand I send such tubers to fly over the territory of my site.