Sustainable potato production with minimum tillage and crop residue mulching to mitigate Climate Change in the Andean region

Rinza, J.; Ramírez, D.; Ninanya, J.; Briceño, P.; Arias, E.; Mendoza, W.; Otiniano, R.; Kreuze, Jan F.

Sustainable potato production with minimum tillage and crop residue mulching to mitigate Climate Change in the Andean region

Autores

Editor

International Potato Center

Descripción

This study evaluated the feasibility of producing potatoes under minimum tillage (MT) with crop residue mulching as a sustainable strategy in the northern Peruvian Andes (Chugay, La Libertad). The research integrated three experimental trials and 18 demonstration trials on farmers’ fields, assessing fresh tuber yield (FTY), profitability, and carbon footprint (CF). The results show that MT consistently outperformed zero tillage (ZT). In the demonstration plots, the combination of MT with a planting density of 5.6 plants m⁻² achieved an average FTY of 42.0 t ha⁻¹, with a maximum of 80.0 t ha⁻¹, more than doubling the national average. In the experimental trials, MT with mulch thicknesses of 20 and 30 cm was more effective, reaching FTY values of up to 23.9 t ha⁻¹. From an environmental perspective, MT with mulching significantly reduced the CF, reaching 91.8 kg CO₂eq t⁻¹ compared with 344.9 kg CO₂eq t⁻¹ under ZT. Pine needle and legume mulching showed high potential for soil moisture conservation, weed control, and increased FTY. Economically, MT showed a better cost–benefit ratio: six demonstration plots were profitable, with a maximum net benefit of 6000 USD ha⁻¹; the best results were observed on slopes below 25%. As a key component of technology transfer, 554 farmers were trained, 42% of whom were women, setting a precedent for empowerment and gender equity in Andean agriculture. In conclusion, MT, combined with crop-residue mulching and a plant density of 5.6 plants m⁻², has been validated as a robust technology for increasing the productivity and sustainability of potato production in the Andean region. For scaling up, it is recommended to optimize profitability at larger scales, assess long-term soil carbon dynamics, and conduct socio-economic studies to facilitate sustained adoption.