Potato production in mulch is currently being promoted and refined by CIP in India and Bangladesh. It is an innovative potato production approach, proving popular with farmers. Seed potatoes are laid directly onto untilled soil and covered with leftover straw mulch from the rice harvest. The potatoes are ready in about three months in time for the next crop to be planted.
“It speeds up the turnaround time as the soil does not need time to dry, which is required in the case of tillage,” says Jan Kreuze, Crop and Systems Science Division Leader at CIP. “It boosts food security by enabling an additional crop to be cultivated in the gap between rice harvests, and as they can harvest earlier, farmers can get more money at the market.”
‘Golden eggs’: The potential of potato production in mulch