Potato nutrient uptake curve
Assimilation, Emergency, Harvest, Harvest, Maturation, Maturation, Nutrient, Nutrient, Papa, Soil, Soil, Tuber, Tuber,
In the early stages of growth, it is the seed tuber that provides the new plant with energy and raw materials for growth. Once the plant has exhausted its internal nutrient reserves, it must absorb nutrients from the soil to continue its rapid growth. The crop develops foliage and roots mainly during the first five to six weeks after emergence. By the end of this phase, roots generally reach 72 percent of their exploration depth, and more than 82 percent of their foliage development.
Thereafter, the tuber begins to grow faster, with most of its growth occurring between the seventh and fifteenth weeks. By this time, the tubers will have reached 95 percent of their final fresh weight. According to Contreras (2002), before the onset of flowering, 70 to 75 percent of nutrients are absorbed and most of the dry matter is produced. During this period of rapid tuber growth, highly soluble fertilizers are crucial to ensure that the potato plant has a nutritional supply available.
