Abstract
Organic crop production is founded in management practices that promote biodiversity, soil biological activity, minimal off-farm inputs, and restoration of ecological harmony. Organic potato production is on the rise in the U.S., with certified organic potato production acreage more than doubling from 8000 to 17,000 ac between 2008 and 2016, and organic potato sales increasing fivefold from $30 to $150 million over this same time period. The goal of this chapter is to provide crop management information to organic growers who are considering potato production and to conventional potato growers who are interested in select organic management techniques. Topics to be discussed include regulations, the transition from conventional to organic management, and cover crops as they apply to organic potato production. We will also describe how variety selection, nutrient management, pest management, vine kill, tuber harvest, and storage practices can be adapted to comply with organic production methods while optimizing tuber yield and quality. Recommendations provided in this chapter complement standard crop management practices, which are described in detail throughout the other chapters of this production guide.
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Moore, A., Sullivan, D.M., Olsen, N., Hutchinson, P.J.S., Wharton, P., Wenninger, E.J. (2020). Organic Potato Production. In: Stark, J., Thornton, M., Nolte, P. (eds) Potato Production Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39157-7_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39157-7_6
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