Early potato

The harvest area of potatoes in South East Europe is about 580 000 ha with a production of about 11 000 000 tonnes. It is estimated that 20–25% of all harvested area is used for early potatoes. Early potato is of high biological and nutritional value, and is suitable for growing on small family-run commercial farms. In the continental area of South and South East Europe, new potato matures for harvest in late May, June and early July. In recent years, early potato has reached the market 20–25 days earlier thanks to the adoption of specific cultivation practices and growing technologies, as well as an increase in financial input per unit area. As the first spring vegetable, early potato is considered a supreme biological and economic crop. The first precondition for high, stable and quality production of early potato is the choice of very early-maturing cultivars with high yield potential, good adaptability and stability. The second precondition is the planting of equally sprouted and certified seedlings with mulching and crop covering with agrotextiles. In the continental area of South and South East Europe, apart from early potato farming in temporary protected areas – for example, direct crop covering with or without mulching and in low plastic tunnels – early potato is also grown in large plastic tunnels without additional heating. Early potato is planted in mid-February in the Mediterranean area. This is 30 days earlier than in the continental area, and when covered with agrotextiles it can be harvested even earlier. This chapter presents some biological and agrotechnological aspects, such as biological needs, fertilization, irrigation, harvesting and storage of early potatoes