Potato cultivation

Nutrient

Potato is highly popular worldwide. A medium size potato has 40-45 percent of daily requirement for vitamin c for a person. Potato contains nearer to 80 percent water and 20 percent dry matter. In that amount of dry matter contains 60-80 percent is starch. A remarkable amount of food demand fulfilled with potato especially in the developing countries. More than 50 percent of world production contributes by the developing countries.   

   

Nutrient contains of per 100 grams potato after boiling and before peeling.

No.	Nutrient	Quantity
1	Vitamin c	13.0 milligrams
2	Protein	1.87 grams
3	Fat	0.1 grams
4	Fibre	1.8 grams
5	Carbohydrate	20.13 grams
6	Calcium	5 milligrams
7	Potassium	379 milligrams
8	Phosphorus	44 milligrams
9	Iron	0.31 milligrams
10	Niacin	1.44 milligrams
11	Thiamin	0.106 milligrams
12	Riboflavin	0.02 milligrams

Land and weather:

Potato grows best in the well-drained sandy loam soils. Rocks free and flatness of the land is suitable for potato cultivation. Soil pH required 5.0 to 5.5 for the best production. This is a cool weather crop. In the period of tuber development temperature should be 17-20° C, 20° C for vegetative growth and 25° C at the time of germination. At the time of plantation soil temperature required 8-10° C at the depth of 4 inch.

Irrigation:

60 to 80 percent soil moisture is the optimum level for the cultivation of potato. At the vegetative period moisture should not be very high. 15-20 CM rainfall or same amount irrigation is sufficient.

Insects:

Weeds should control in potato field. They cause reduce production being hosts for insect and can spread diseases. Dozen type of insects attack in potato field.  Most of them cutworm, crickets, leafhopper, tuberworm, flea beetles. Some of them transmit virus dieses. Select land for potato cultivation the land was sod and grass free in previous year otherwise having chance to attack with wireworm and grubworm in the potato field. Chemical pesticides use increasing in developing countries in potato field that is very dangerous for environment.      

Disease:

Diseases of potato are classified according to casual agents, such as virus, bacteria, fungus. Late blight disease is most serious worldwide. To prevent diseases in potato must use certified dieses free seeds if required seeds should be treated with recommended chemical.

World food crisis-alarm to increase agricultural production.

Land is the most valuable and essential element to produce crop and food.  Land also constant and limited natural resource in the world. Day by day rapidly decreasing the cultivable land and increasing world food crisis. Recently the world population crossed the landmark of 7000 million. Researchers, specialists and scientists are seriously worried about future food crisis in the world.  Main reasons of food crisis are world climate change, reducing agricultural land on demand of residence for growing populations, reducing land fertility due to synthetic and chemical reaction, technical disadvantage of third world countries, natural disaster, unutilized land and so many.  In the middle of this century world population will grow nearer to 9000 million beside the residential demand will reduce existing cultivable land. World food production will require increasing cent percent then 2010 with utilize our limited resources in the year of 2050.  Last year wheat, rice, maize, sugar and vegetable oil price increased 6-8 percent in the world market.  At the present situation every day nearer 1000 million people passing the day in fasting, majority they are in African and Indian. Another 1000 million people is suffering with malnutrition in different part of the world.

In this situation, significantly increasing the production of agriculture should be number one issue to world leaders. In this blog I would like to share my experience in agricultural sector. I will share different type of agricultural technology that can be helpful to interested and involved persons.