Potato

Potato Irrigation Solutions

Why Potatoes Need Precision Irrigation

• Potatoes are a shallow-rooted, high-value crop that’s extremely sensitive to soil moisture fluctuations. Even a 10% difference in soil moisture can lead to uneven tuber sizing and reduced marketable yield. The key to achieving consistent, high-quality potatoes is maintaining soil moisture close to field capacity throughout the growing season.
• • Too wet? Prolonged saturation (8–12+ hours) can damage roots and encourage disease.
• • Too dry? Even short periods of water stress will slow tuber bulking and increase defects.
• With water and fertilizer costs on the rise, optimizing irrigation is critical to maximizing returns.

Our Recommended Irrigation Methods

• Drip Irrigation (Preferred)
• NAIYAD strongly recommends surface drip or shallow-buried drip tape for open fields and row-planted potatoes. Drip irrigation delivers water and nutrients directly to the root zone, minimizing evaporation losses and enabling precise fertigation.
• Typical design parameters:
• • Emitter flow rate: 0.16–0.26 GPH (0.6–1.0 L/h)
• • Emitter spacing: 12–20 in (depending on soil texture and row spacing)
• • Row spacing: Based on planting configuration and equipment width
• TBenefits of drip for potatoes:
• • Higher uniformity and yield consistency
• • Reduced disease risk by keeping foliage dry
• • Significant water and nutrient savings compared to sprinklers

Design & Management Essentials

Calculate water needs based on soil water-holding capacity, crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and system efficiency.

Uniformity matters — use pressure-compensating (PC) emitters to maintain flow consistency across long runs.

Filtration is critical — select the right filtration (disc, media, or sand separators) based on your water source.

Monitoring & automation — integrate soil moisture sensors and weather/ET data to fine-tune irrigation and avoid over- or under-watering.

Irrigation Scheduling by Growth Stage

Emergence & Early Growth: Light, frequent irrigation to support even emergence and prevent crusting.

Vegetative Stage: Maintain steady moisture for root and canopy development.

Tuber Initiation & Bulking (Critical Stage): Keep soil moisture near field capacity — avoid any water stress or prolonged saturation.

Maturation: Gradually reduce water to promote skin set, improve storability, and prepare for harvest.

Fertigation & Disease Prevention

Fertigation: Applying nutrients through the drip system allows precise timing and dosage, especially nitrogen during bulking. Monitoring EC and pH prevents nutrient imbalance and salt buildup.

Disease Management: By reducing leaf wetness and surface waterlogging, drip irrigation minimizes late blight and other moisture-related diseases.