We eat them fried, mashed, boiled, roasted, scalloped, baked, or even twice baked. Some like them white, brown, purple, red, or gold. No matter how we slice or dice them, the humble potato is a global diet mainstay.
Considered by many to be a native of the Peruvian-Bolivian Andes, potatoes were domesticated between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago by pre-Columbian farmers.1 After the Spanish invasion of the Inca Empire, the crop spread to Europe and Asia.2
Top potato regions
Today, China and India account for almost half of the world’s potato production.3
Potatoes need warm daytime and cool nighttime temperatures with fertile, well-drained soil. In North America, Washington and Idaho states and Alberta and Manitoba provinces4 have some of the best growing conditions for potatoes.
Unfortunately, due to rainy conditions boron deficiency is common in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of the United States. In places like this, field advisors strongly recommend boron.
No small potatoes
Boron deficiency in potatoes can include cracking, internal brown spots and centers, hollow hearts, and black spots. Growers will also see reduced growth and yield when soil is boron deficient.
Agronomists in the PNW have been studying potato fertilization for decades.5 They have increasingly found that foliar and/or soil boron applications in conjunction with other nutrients, such as potassium and calcium, greatly increases yield and potato quality.6,7
This makes sense as boron is essential for movement of calcium around the plant for correct calcium nutrition. When boron is applied in the early stages of the potato’s cell division process (the first 14-30 days after tuber initiation), there is better uniformity of type.
In addition, some studies have found that the use of refined borates during plant growth significantly decreased enzymatic discoloration and phenolic concentration in the tubers. And one of the chief nutrients in the potato, vitamin C, was also significantly increased by boron supplementation.8
Soil testing in potato fields
While boron deficiency can cause quality and yield issues so can too much boron. So, it’s important to get the application right. Farmers should have soil analysis done before planting. Then, take tissue samples from the midrib of the potato leaf and from the tubers during the growing season to ensure best fertilization results.
Boron fertilizer choices
U.S. Borax offers a range of boron fertilizer products for your potato crop:
- Granubor® for bulk, dry-blend fertilizers applied broadcast preplant or surface banded
- Fertibor® for suspensions during preplant broadcast or band sprayed over the row
- Solubor® dissolved alone in water or in liquid fertilizers and/or pesticides, then applied to the soil or directly onto the foliage*
*Solubor has been found most effective when used as a foliar spray, 40 to 60 days after planting.
Contact our agriculture experts to discuss which borate fertilizer would work best to increase your yield and potato crop quality.
Resources
References
1. Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation Board on Science and Technology for International Development of the National Research Council. 1980. Lost Crops of the Incas. Washington, DC (USA). National Academy Press.
2. Sauer, J. 2017. Historical Geography of Crop Plants: a Select Roster. Boca Raton, FL (USA): CRC Press. p. 320.
3. Crops and livestock products. 2024. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
4. Canadian potato production, 2024. Dec 5, 2024. Statistics Canada.
5. Roberts S and Cheng HH. 1987. Boron and Sulfur Nutrition of Potatoes. Department of Agronomy and Soils, Washington State University. Presented as part of the Proceedings of the 1987 Washington State Potato Conference & Trade Fair.
6. Dhiman D et al. Jun 2024. Nano-boron foliar application reduced the proportion of cracked tuber yield in potato. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology. 58: 103182.
7. Elsayed, GI et al. Dec 2024. Fostering Sustainable Potato Prod: Enhancing Quality & Yield via Potassium & Boron Applications. International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 51(3).
8. Mondy NI and Munshi CB. 1993. Effect of boron on enzymatic discoloration and phenolic and ascorbic acid contents of potatoes. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. 41(4):554-556.