How to increase water use efficiency in potatoes

Yara’s crop nutrient recommendations for potatoes help the crop make more productive use of water through encouraging strong growth and high yields leading to more transpiration and less drainage and direct evaporation.

Regular fertiliser use will encourage rooting, ensuring better extraction of water from the soil.

Well-balanced nutrition also maximizes leaf efficiency, providing a strong canopy that reduces soil evaporating by creating shade across the grove for a longer period.

Potassium (via its osmotic function) and nitrogen (as a result of the internal regulation of hormones and xylem pH) are important for efficient and optimal regulation and control of CO2 uptake and water loss through the stomata.

Finally, by using comprehensive, tailored, fertiliser programs that ensures no nutrient is lacking, yield is increased, thereby producing more fruit for every mm of rainfall or irrigation water that is applied.

Yara recognizes that this improved ‘water use efficiency’ is increasingly important given scarcity of water supply. Indeed, with 2.8 billion people living in regions with insufficient water, the importance of making best use of this limited resource is fundamental to sustainable crop production.