Are your potatoes getting enough calcium?

Calcium is a vital nutrient for potatoes and most aspects of tuber quality can be improved by having a sufficient supply of calcium during growth. It is required in the crop for the maintenance of cell walls, healthy leaf and tuber development. Calcium prevents a wide range of tuber quality problems. Calcium deficiency is widely known as internal rust spot – a physiological internal defect in which small brown spots, due to cell death, appear in the tuber. This is directly related to a lack of calcium within the cell walls, meaning that they aren’t strong enough and when cell expansion takes place they collapse and necrosis occurs. A sufficient supply of calcium will help ensure the skin has a good finish as well as helping against physical damage which can occur during harvesting and handling. Finally it can also help prevent bacterial diseases affecting the tubers. Stronger skins means less damage; which helps decrease bacterial infection through the broken surface. More