Summer sweet potatoes are cultivated after the main harvest season, and they have a relatively short growing period of about 120 days. As a result, proper management of cultivation techniques is crucial to ensuring a successful yield. Effective farming practices during this time can significantly impact both the quality and quantity of the final crop.
When selecting varieties for summer planting, it's best to go with early-maturing, high-quality types such as Beijing 553, Red Heart King, and Shanchuan Purple. The seedlings used for summer sweet potatoes are usually cut from those of spring plantings. These cuttings should be around 20–30 cm long, with 6–8 nodes and an apical bud. This ensures strong growth potential due to apical dominance, which helps the plants establish quickly, extend their vines earlier, and produce tubers more efficiently.
Soil preparation involves creating ridges that are approximately 70–75 cm in length and 25 cm high. The ridges should be smooth and even, free from debris. For each acre, farmers typically apply 2000–3000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer along with 40–50 kg of 30% sweet potato-specific fertilizer. The fertilizer is placed on one side of the ridge, which helps reduce waste and improves nutrient absorption.
Planting is done by digging small holes at the top of the ridges—about 5–6 cm deep and 8–10 cm in diameter. The seedlings are then inserted horizontally into these holes, followed by immediate watering to ensure good soil contact. All leaves should be buried to help redirect moisture from the leaves back into the stems, promoting better root development. After planting, check the seedlings every 2–3 days and fill in any gaps to maintain a density of 4000–5000 plants per mu. A chemical weeding solution of 0.2–0.3 kg of acetochlor mixed with 100 kg of water is sprayed evenly in the furrows to control weeds. During the mid-to-late growth stages, manual weeding using a cultivator is recommended to keep the field clean.
Pruning and vine management are essential during the rainy season when sweet potatoes tend to develop excessive adventitious roots, which can divert nutrients away from tuber formation. Farmers often turn the vines over, but this practice can reduce photosynthesis and lower yields by 1–2%. Instead, returning the vines to their original position avoids this issue. When the vines reach 12 nodes, topping them encourages lateral branching. Once the lateral branches grow to 12 nodes, this promotes faster tuber development.
Foliar fertilization is also important during the middle to late growth stages. If the plants show signs of weakness or yellowing leaves, a mixture of 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 0.5% urea can be sprayed every 7–10 days for 2–3 applications. This helps prevent early decline and boosts overall productivity.
Harvesting should occur when the air temperature drops to 15–20°C and the soil temperature falls below 16°C, indicating that the tubers have stopped expanding. Care must be taken not to damage the skin during harvesting, and the tubers should be sorted and packed properly for storage. Proper timing and handling ensure better post-harvest quality and longer shelf life.
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