Effect of Planting Interval and Seed Tuber Size on the Gross and Net Potato Yield

Summary. The effect of the planting density and the size of the seed tubers was studied in field experiments carried out in 4 successive years. The gross yield increased when the planting distance was decreased. An analytical solution was derived for determining the maximum net yield. The optimum planting distances for seed tubers weighing 40, 80 and 120 g were 13,0 cm, 21.8 cm and 28.0 cm respectively, the distance between the rows being 65 cm. The dependence of the optimum planting distance on different values of seed tubers was examined. When a seed tuber was estimated as being twice as expensive as a crop tuber, the optimum planting distance rose to level which was close to that used in practice.

Introduction. The potato yield can be regulated by changing the seed rate: by means of the planting density or by the size of the seed tubers. Planting density affects the competition between the individual potato plants. When competition is reduced the potato plants grow more vigorously and more tubers are produced although the yield calculated per unit area decreases. If greater quantities are used in planting, the unsorted gross yield of potatoes has been found to increase (Holmes, 1966; Svensson, 1966, Gustafsson, 1968). In this respect, the potato follows the general laws concerning competition between plants (De Wit, 1960).

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Pohjonen, V. & Paatela, J. 1974. Effect of planting interval and seed tuber size on the gross and net potato yield. Acta Agric. Scand. 24:126-130.

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Memoir 27.12.2016. While I was in the beginning of 1970s working as doctoral student in the Department of Plant Husbandry, University of Helsinki, professor Juhani Paatela gave me set of potato trial results from 4 years (1964-1967). I had been interested in the Competition theory (1960) of Cornelius Teunis de Wit (C.T. de Wit). This theory was the basis for the computation in this article.