Potato types
There is a wide range of different types of potato with some 85 genera and nearly 3000 species worldwide.
Potato Cultivars
Although most cultivars are white or yellow fleshed and have white skins, there are a wide range of colour variations. Potatoes are largely cool season crops, produced under optimal average temperatures that range from 10-20°C.
The tubers are susceptible to freezing and need to be lifted prior to the onset of autumn or winter frosts. In most regions, yields are best when seed is planted shortly after the last frost. This ensures a long growing season. In areas with no risk of frost, potatoes can be cropped all year round.
The information on this website concentrates upon the ‘white potato’ – Solanum tuberosum – which is the most widely grown potato.
Potato Varieties
Potato varieties are either determinate or indeterminate in nature. Indeterminate varieties will carry on growing for longer and, in some growth environments, will need some form of management to stop leaf and stem growth, prior to harvesting.
Desiccation or crop haulm destruction in indeterminate varieties should be timed to maximize yield and tuber quality characteristics.
Recommended Yara fertilisers for potatoes
Related articles
How to influence potato quality
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.
Potato market requirements
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.
Potato agronomy advice
How to make better informed nutrient decisions
Our collection of tools help you to make better nutrient decisions in making the right fertiliser choice and applying the right amount of nutrients at the right time and in the right place so that the crop yield and quality can be maximised whilst still keeping costs in check, avoiding over-fertilisation and protecting the environment.
