Potatoes are at the forefront of global agricultural production, ranking as the third most important food crop in the world after rice and wheat. Billions of people have potatoes in their diet. Today, potatoes are cultivated on over 20 million hectares across 150 countries, with a total global production of 359 million tons. According to FAO forecasts, production could increase to 500 million tons by 2025 and 750 million tons by 2030. Currently, Asia and Africa are regions experiencing the most significant growth in potato production, while Europe and North America are witnessing a decline. However, all producing countries are interested in increasing the gross yield of potatoes while reducing the cultivation area.
Enhancing the efficiency of each potato hectare is a crucial task for the agro-industrial sector. This would increase gross yields without escalating production costs for seed materials, plant protection products, and other inputs, thereby reducing cultivation expenses.
Manaseer Natural Green (MNG) has a unique technology for processing natural minerals, which enables it to create fertilizers that provide plants with essential meso-elements for potatoes, such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, silicon, and iron with enhanced bioavailability. MNG's aeroflow activation and micronization technology modifies mineral structure, increasing its reactivity and solubility in water, soil, and plant cell sap. The ultra-fine particles, measuring 3 microns, obtained during the fertilizer production process, have a vast active surface. Once absorbed by plant cells, they become highly bioavailable and, even in small application doses, have a phenomenal impact on plant growth, development, yield, and quality even at low application rates.
In 2023, MNG specialists conducted a trial of foliar application products MNG Classic Plus and MNG Mg12.
The combination of these two popular products in the brand's portfolio allows for catering to potato needs at each developmental stage. MNG Classic Plus contains 38.48% calcium oxide, 11.92% silicon oxide, 6.08% magnesium oxide, 6.5% iron oxide, humic and fulvic acids. At the beginning of vegetation, when the rows close up, the first top-dressing is carried out, which aims to create healthy, vigorously growing plants and form more tubers. Two subsequent applications enhance photosynthesis, tuber growth, and the formation of a strong peel due to MNG Mg12, which is doubly enriched with magnesium (12.54% magnesium oxide) and contains 3% sulfur trioxide.
The trial was conducted on the Colombo variety, super elite, seed plot, with soil being medium-humus, medium-power, medium-loamy chernozem. The row spacing was 90 cm, with a planting density of 56,000 pcs/ha. The potatoes were planted on May 22, and the biological yield was assessed on August 3.
Trial scheme (applications were made against the background of the farm's cultivation technology):
The triple application of the company's flagship products showed excellent results: the treated plants had a more robust root system, and the height of the above-ground part was 22% higher, as a result, the plants functioned more actively, which positively affected yield.
Efficiency indicators of MNG technology application in potato cultivation
Number of tubers on 1 bush:
The average weight of 1 bush:
Yield:
As the trial was conducted on a seed plot, the primary objective was to obtain a larger number of tubers of a specific fraction. Thanks to the MNG technology, the number of tubers per bush increased by 28.5%, and the tubers were more uniform and of the desired seed fraction. It's worth noting that the yield increase was achieved despite its already significant level in the control, indicating that MNG foliar application products can more fully unlock the genetic potential of varieties, allowing for the maximum possible efficiency under equal soil and climatic conditions.
MNG technologies can address any production challenges in both seed and commercial potato cultivation: increasing yield, increasing the number of tubers per bush, enhancing resistance to damage during mechanized harvesting, extending the storage life, and more. The company's experts will select the necessary combination of different MNG fertilizer products and their application timings to achieve the desired efficiency levels with a yield increase of 20% and higher.
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