Reduced Expenditures for Fertilization and Plant Protection in the Organic Potato Production
The goal of intensive conventional farming is to maximize crop productivity by the use of heavy machinery, monoculture, chemical fertilizers, growth regulators, and pesticides. However, it is a major contributor to both environmental degradation and the reduction in biodiversity.
The use of pesticides and their residues harm wildlife, which in turn reduces the number of natural enemies; heavy machinery ruins soil structure; and monoculture farming lowers nutrition levels, which in turn causes insect outbreaks. Consumers' growing concern about the health implications of increased (many) pesticide residues in food is driving up demand for organic food and boosting producer interest in switching to organic agricultural practices.
“Organic potato producers face some difficulties in terms of dealing with adequate plant nutrients, especially nitrogen application; weed, insect, and disease control issues; profitability and marketing issues, among others. Regarding pest management, several non-chemical techniques are used for pest control, including selection of resistant and tolerant varieties, crop rotation, destroying crop debris, and biological control. Crop management includes careful timing of planting and harvest to avoid pests, controlled irrigation, understanding pest life cycles and all the circumstances that may influence the plant vitality to prevent damage and forecast threshold levels,” Sanja Tresnik from Pesticide Action Network Europe wrote in one of her papers.
Mainly varieties that are in demand and approved by merchants are grown in organic farming. In terms of diversity, direct sellers are a little more liberated.
It is best to choose varieties that mature fast and start producing tubers early so that when blight does start to show up, a healthy yield has already been achieved. They should also demand little nitrogen, be resistant to disease, and grow a canopy fast to keep weeds out. The primary factors in choosing, however, are the intended application and the preferences of the purchasers or consumers.
“Choosing a new variety should be discussed with the buyer beforehand: before new varieties are cultivated, a market should be ensured. In direct marketing, customers should be gradually introduced to the new variety,” the “Organic Potatoes. Cultivating Quality – step by step” authors explained.
You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of Issue 1 of Potato Business Digital 2024 magazine, which you can access by clicking here.
