Managing Potato Starch Content
Potatoes are one of the most important sources of starch worldwide. Variety choice is very important and potatoes with greater than 13% starch content are required in countries such as Germany. The higher the starch content, the lower the waste.
Crop Nutrition and Potato Starch Content
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient to fuel canopy growth, however in temperate climates, an excess supply of nitrogen at later stages of growth will keep the crop growing, delaying maturity and may reduce starch content, reducing processing potato crop quality.
Phosphate
Phosphate fertilizer use can influence starch quality. By increasing the tuber P content, the viscosity of the gelatinized starch is also increased and the gelatinization temperature decreased.
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Influencing Potato Dry Matter Content
Dry matter content is important for both fresh markets and processing. Tubers with dry matter above 18-20% tend to be more susceptible to bruising and tubers disintegrate more readily when cooked.
How to Improve Potato Skin Finish
Skin finish is becoming more important as consumers increasingly demand potatoes with clean, attractive skins, particularly when buying fresh or table stock potatoes. Tubers with surface infections such as black scurf, silver scurf, powdery scab or common...
Role of Nitrogen in Potato Production
Nitrogen is important in fueling growth and providing high yields. It ensures optimal photosynthate production in leaves.
Role of Phosphorus in Potato Production
Phosphorus is important for early root and shoot development, providing energy for plant processes such as ion uptake and transport.
