Mexico: Potato cultivation makes way to the use of biostimulants

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing Mexican agriculture. Prolonged droughts, irregular rainfall, extreme temperatures, and soil degradation affect food production and jeopardize the country’s food security. In this context, potatoes are among the crops particularly affected by this climate variability.

The potato is one of the main crops on the planet, and also in Mexico, where approximately 1.9 million tons are harvested each year, with Sonora and Sinaloa as two important production centers in the country, although there are also important, but smaller-scale, productions in Veracruz and Nuevo León.

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This sector, as a whole, manages more than 60,100 hectares, with an average yield of 31.27 tons per hectare. Of the total production, 56% is consumed fresh, 29% is destined for the snack industry, and 15% is used for seed production under special conditions. In Mexico alone, the value of production is around US$300 million.

Due to the importance of this industry, the use of biostimulants is becoming key for Mexican potato producers, as they not only improve the production and quality of the tubers, but also optimize nutrient use and help plants cope with adverse conditions. “In fact, this year we had frost problems, and biostimulants were used as tools to recover the crops and prevent greater production losses. These tools are becoming essential for crop management,” says Luis Ricardo Marcelino, representative of La Planta Feliz.

He points out that, although many producers already know the benefits of these technologies, there are still some skeptics who prefer to continue doing things as they were years ago.

Do farmers believe in these types of products?

Yes and no, because it depends on the farmer. In Mexico, in particular, there are producers who are ’old-fashioned’ and I feel they think a product used 20 or 30 years ago will still work, but both the yields and the problems crops face are very different. However, there are many farmers who know that the use of biostimulants is essential for agriculture.

-Are these types of products a viable alternative for potato producers in Mexico today?

Yes, in fact, the use of cytokinins has been very helpful from the beginning of planting. Now that there have been frosts, the use of algae and certain bacteria has helped us recover foliage, brassinosteroids help reduce plant stress, and amino acids are also necessary. We are using all the biostimulant tools. If they worked under adverse conditions, we expect the results to be even better under ideal conditions.