Genomics and Applied Biology 2026, Vol.17, No.1, 51-60 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/gab 51 Review Article Open Access A Practical Field-Based Method for Improving Potato Yield and Tuber Uniformity through Optimized Planting Density JinZhang1,2 1 Jinyun County Tongyuefang Family Farm, Jinyun, 321412, Zhejiang, China 2 Zhejiang Agronomist College, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: 1352359@qq.com Genomics and Applied Biology, 2026, Vol.17, No.1 doi: 10.5376/gab.2026.17.0005 Received: 28 Dec., 2026 Accepted: 02 Feb., 2026 Published: 19 Feb., 2026 Copyright © 2026 Zhang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhang J., 2026, A practical field-based method for improving potato yield and tuber uniformity through optimized planting density, Genomics and Applied Biology, 17(1): 51-60 (doi: 10.5376/gab.2026.17.0005) Abstract In many production areas, potatoes are not only a staple food but also an important source of income. Whether they are grown well or not directly affects the yield and stable production. However, in actual production, simply planting more does not necessarily lead to higher yields. Planting density often influences the field population structure, yield level, and uniformity of tubers. Appropriate density arrangement can often increase the yield per unit area without additional input and make the tubers more uniform in size. However, if planted too densely, competition for light, water, and nutrients becomes more intense, reducing the tuber-setting ability of individual plants, increasing the number of small and deformed tubers, and deteriorating the commercial quality. Based on these practical issues, comparing different densities through field experiments, summarizing the corresponding management experiences, and analyzing specific cases can provide more practical references for high-yield and high-quality potato cultivation under different ecological conditions. Keywords Potato; Reasonable planting density; Yield increase; Tuber uniformity; Cultivation management 1 Introduction In many regions of our country, potatoes not only play a role in food supply but also are related to planting benefits. Therefore, the yield per unit area and the quality of marketable potatoes have always been the subject of repeated discussions. In field production, planting density is often an unavoidable issue: if planted sparsely, individual plants produce larger tubers, but the land and light-heat conditions are not fully utilized, and the total yield is likely to be limited; conversely, if planted too densely, plants compete for water and nutrients, resulting in an increase in small tubers and uneven tuber sizes, thereby reducing marketability. It is precisely in this contradiction that reasonable planting density has gradually attracted attention. Some studies have found that density regulation can achieve a relatively balanced state between population structure and yield and quality (Zheng et al., 2016; Qi et al., 2025). Based on this, this study, in combination with field experiments, explores the changes in potato yield and tuber uniformity under dense planting conditions. In actual production, the feasibility of many cultivation measures can only be clearly seen in the field. Compared with indoor reasoning or model analysis, field experiments are closer to the real situation. The differences in climate, soil and management methods among different regions often lead to different results. Take close planting as an example. In addition to changes in yield, whether the growth of plants is restricted, whether pests and diseases will increase, and whether mechanical operations are convenient all need to be observed one by one in the field. Some problems are not obvious in theory but will be exposed in production. Researchers and farmers can only continuously adjust and improve the technology by conducting joint experiments, making repeated comparisons, and summarizing gains and losses. This is also an indispensable part of the improvement of potato cultivation (Dhangrah et al., 2024; Meng et al., 2025). Regarding the long-standing issue of whether potatoes should be densely planted or not, there have always been many differences of opinion. Some people emphasize yield, while others are concerned about the unevenness of the potato tubers. This study did not rush to conduct field verification immediately. Instead, it first analyzed the
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