Potatoes Agriculture

Potatoes Agriculture

Technology Cultivation

            Potato (Solanum tuberosum L) is a horticultural crops that have calories and minerals essential for human needs. Potatoes are one of the world's major food after rice, wheat and maize (Wattimena, 2000). In addition, the potato is one that has a value of horticultural commodities domestic trade and export potential is quite good. In Indonesia often happens constraints increase potato production, such as: (1) the low quality and quantity of seed potatoes, which is a major concern in efforts to increase potato production in Indonesia, (2) cultivation techniques are still conventional, (3) the factors of topography, where areas with altitude and temperature suitable for planting potatoes in Indonesia is very limited, (4) the tropics Indonesia is the optimum place for the proliferation of pests and diseases of potato plants (Kuntjoro, 2000). Planting seed potato quality, timely and appropriate physiological age is the main factor determining the success of the production of potatoes. Efforts to provide quality seed potatoes need to be based on the well-established seed systems (Wattimena, 2000).

              Potatoes including crops that can be grown in tropical and subtropical regions (Ewing and Keller, 1982), can be grown at altitudes of 500 to 3000 m above sea level, and the best at an altitude of 1300 m above sea level. Potato plant can grow well in fertile soil, has good drainage, clay loose, dust or sand dust. Potato plants tolerant of pH at a fairly wide interval of 4.5 to 8.0, but for good growth and the availability of nutrients, pH is good is 5.0 to 6.5. According Asandhi and Gunadi (1989), potato crops grown at a pH of less than 5.0 will produce poor quality tubers. In areas which will be planted potatoes cause problems scurvy, soil pH was lowered to 5.0 to 5.2.Potato plant growth is strongly influenced by weather conditions. Potato plants grow well in an environment with low temperature, ie 15 to 20 ° C, enough sunlight, and humidity 80 to 90% (Sunarjono, 1975).

              Soil temperatures associated with the absorption of nutrients by the roots, photosynthesis, and respiration. According to Burton (1981), to get the maximum out of potato crop requires optimum temperature is relatively low, especially for root growth, namely 15.6 to 17.8 ° C with an average temperature of 15.5 ° C. With the addition of a temperature of 10 ° C, respiration will be doubled. If the temperature increases, the rate of plant growth increases until it reaches a maximum. Photosynthetic rate also increases until it reaches a maximum and then decreases. At the same time the rate of respiration gradually increases with increasing temperature. Lost through respiration is greater than the extra activity generated by photosynthesis. Consequently, there is no increase in net yield and dry weight of plants and tubers decreased.

              The water content in the potato tuber is an indication of the level of freshness so greatly affect the quality, especially the physical quality. Based on observations made after the deposit is known that potato tuber storage in a room with a temperature of 10 ° C for eight days could keep the water content so that visually potato tubers remain as fresh as the new harvest. If the water content of freshly harvested potato tubers compared with the levels of water stored potato tubers after 8 days in temperatures of 10 ° C tends to be an increase (Table 4). This happens because the metabolic processes that occur during storage may lead to changes in non-water components, especially carbohydrates, while the rate of respiration and transpiration can be reduced so that the percentage of water content in potato tubers increases.

            Storage of potato tubers were conducted for 4 days in a temperature of 10 ° C and then transferred to room temperature (18 - 21 ° C) for 4 days and 8 days of storage at room temperature (18 - 21 ° C) was found to result in a decrease in water levels between 0.81% - 1 , 98% (Table 4). Moisture reduction occurred due to the influence of temperature, ie the higher the temperature will further accelerate the rate of respiration in which one of the results of respiration is H2O.

Changes in the chemical composition of processed potato tubers are not expected during the storage one of which is the increased levels of reducing sugars. It is known that in general can increase the storage reduction sugar. Storage temperature 10 ° C for 8 days resulted in increased levels of reducing sugars highest, ranging from 0.096 to 0.109%. This happens because during storage of metabolic processes continue running, while the respiration rate can be reduced so that the accumulation of reducing sugar.


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