Planning
	Establish permanent records of fertility, weed infestations, crop rotation, cultural practice, and pesticide use for each field.
	Select cultivars appropriate for production conditions.
	Establish an appropriate crop rotation.
	Manage potato fields to avoid soil compation, herbicide carryover, volunteer potatoes and grain.
	Monitor fields for soilborne diseases and apply pesticides if necessary and economically feasible.
	Sample soil and irrigation water for fertility, pH and other factors.
Field Preparation
	Proper placement of preplant fertilizer is critical to efficient utilization and to avoid root damage and excess leaching.
	Apply preplant fertilizers and soil amendments as indicated by the results of soil and irrigation water analysis.
	Perform tillage operations necessary to manage weeds and crop residues, minimize erosion and provide proper soil tilth for planting.
	Pre-irrigate soil if seed bed is dry.
Seed Handling and Planting
	Clean and sanitize storage facilities and seed-handling equipment prior to receiving seed potatoes and as often as possible thereafter.
	Always use certified seed.
	Examine seed tubers for diseases and defects prior to purchase and upon delivery.
	Handle and store seed properly to maintain tuber health.
	Do not hold seed in storage areas that have been treated with a sprout inhibitor and may still contain residue.
	Adjust seed-cutting operations to ensure uniform and properly-sized seed pieces.
	Delay planting until soil temperatures are above 50 degrees F at the 6-inch depth, typically after May 1.
	Establish sufficient soil moisture in the root zone prior to or immediately after planting to provide adequate available water until the potato plants are fully emerged. Post-plant irrigation poses a serious threat of seed piece decay when using cut seed.
	Sanitize during cutting or at least prior to cutting each seed lot.
	Apply a seed-piece fungicide treatment as needed.
	Provide proper conditions for cut seed to suberize, or when soil conditions permit, plant immediately after cutting. Suberization time varies greatly depending on cultivar.
	Adjust the planter so seed pieces are planted at the intended spacing and depth for a specific cultivar.
	Dispose of cull piles.
Post-plant/Preemergence
	Check soil moisture and seed condition.
	Begin weed scouting.
	Perform operations for preemergence weed control and/or any cultural practices that reduce soil crusting and promote rapid emergence.
	Avoid excessive irrigation prior to emergence.
Vegetative Growth
	Provide adequate and uniform soil moisture based on crop water use.
	Apply post-emergence herbicides and/or use cultural practices as necessary.
	Complete hilling/cultivating operations well before row closure to avoid root pruning.
	Begin insect and disease scouting.
	Delay fungicide or insecticide application until the action threshold for the target pest or disease has been reached.
Tuber Initiation and Bulking
	Continue to provide adequate and uniform soil moisture based on crop water use.
	Begin petiole analysis for nutritional management when plants are 6 to 8 inches tall. Apply nutrients as needed.
	Continue insect scouting and disease monitoring and apply pesticides as necessary.
Tuber Maturation
	Avoid excessive late season irrigation to minimize tuber diseases.
	Promote tuber skin set and minimize nitrogen residue by avoiding nitrogen applications after mid-August. This date may be earlier depending on the cultivar.
	Schedule vine-killing operations to allow complete desiccation of the vines and good skin set before harvest. Maturation time varies depending on cultivar.
	Continue foliar applications of fungicides and insecticides, if appropriate, until the vines are completely dead.
	Inspect, repair adn sanitize storage facilities and harvest equipment.
Harvest
	Conduct all harvesting, transportation, and bin-loading operations with bruise management as a primary goal.
	Avoid harvesting when tuber pulp temperatures are below 45 degrees F and above 70 degrees F. Cultivars vary in susceptibility to damage.
	Tarp loads in the field to protect harvested tubers from rain, direct sun, desiccation, and adverse temperatures during long-distance transport.
	Remove all soil, decaying tubers and debris from tubers during bin-loading to facilitate air flow in the pile.
	Size tubers during bin-loading to minimize future handling.
	Apply a fungicide at this time to control potential storage diseases.
Storage
	Manage the curing period carefully to provide appropriate conditions for wound healing.
	Promote suberization and wound healing by maintaining the following conditions: 50 to 60 degrees F, 95 to 99 percent relative humidity and good air movement.
	Lower storage temperatures to appropriate levels for long-term storage, depending on the end use of the crop.
	Monitor the pile for signs of decay. Take appropriate action if decay develops.
	Manage the storage to address abnormal tuber conditions, such as frost, leak and soft rots.

This material is based on work supported by the San Luis Valley Water Quality Demonstration Project Best Management Practices Advisory Committee, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture under authorization as 1991 U.S. Department of Agriculture Water Quality Demonstration Project.