Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-grxwn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-15T00:21:18.852Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Growth, mineral nutrition and water use by potato crops

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. F. Asfary ,
A. Wild  and
P. M. Harris
A. F. Asfary
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, The University, Reading
A. Wild
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, The University, Reading
P. M. Harris
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, The University, Reading
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

In a 2-year field experiment with potatoes measurements were made at successive harvests of the dry-matter yield of leaves and tubers and of the length of the root system. Experimental treatments were 150 kg N/ha, control plots receiving no N, and each with or without irrigation.

In both years the crop gave increased yields with fertilizer N and irrigation. Fertilizer N increased the weight of leaves and embryonic tubers as early as 6 weeks after planting; it had little effect on water use. Irrigation, which was applied only in the mid-season after water deficits of about 100 mm had developed, increased yields and water use. Highest uptake rates of N, P and K (g/m2/day) occurred 4–6 weeks after crop emergence when they reached 0·62, 0·071 and 0·88 respectively. At harvest the tubers contained (g/m2) N: 8·7–21·1, P: 1·5–2·8 and K: 11·7–27·2. Uptake of all three nutrients was increased by application of N fertilizer and by irrigation.

The average root length for all treatments throughout the season in both years was 12 km/m2 of soil surface, with 84% in the top 30 cm of soil. From values of inflow of water and NO3–-N1 calculated from depletion of successive 15 cm deep soil horizons, roots below 30 cm depth were substantially more active than those nearer the soil surface. During most of the growing season about half the nitrate reached the roots by mass flow.

During crop growth NO3–-N concentration in the soil decreased to less than 10 μg/cm3 to 30 cm depth. Summation of crop N and soil NO3·N indicated net mineralization rates of soil N of between 0·07 and 0·17 g/W/day (average 012 g/m2/day). At final harvest the residue of N of about 9–10 g/m2 on plots that received N fertilizer, included crop residues, NO3–·N left in the soil and leaf fall.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 100 , Issue 1 , February 1983 , pp. 87 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Burns, I. G. (1980). A simple model for predicting the effects of winter leaching of residual nitrate on the nitrogen fertiliser need of spring crops. Journal of Soil Science 31, 187–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clutterbuck, B. J. & Simpson, K. (1978). The interactions of water and fertilizer nitrogen in effects on growth pattern and yield of potatoes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 91, 161–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooke, G. W. (1967). The Control of Soil Fertility. London: Crosby Lockwood & Son Ltd.Google Scholar
Day, W. (1981). Water stress and crop growth. In Physiological Processes Limiting Plant Productivity (ed. Johnson, C. B.), pp. 199–215. London: Butterworths.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durrant, M. J., Love, B. J. G., Messem, A. B. & Draycott, A. P. (1973). Growth of crop roots in relation to soil moisture extraction. Annals of Applied Biology 74, 387–394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greoory, P. J., Crawford, D. V. & McGowan, M. (1979). Nutrient relations of winter wheat. 2. Movement of nutrients to the roots and their uptake. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 93, 495–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregory, P. J., McGowan, M. & Biscoe, P. V. (1978). Water relations of winter wheat. 2. Soil water relations. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 91, 103–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregory, P. J., McGowan, M., Biscoe, P. V. & Hunter, B. (1978). Water relations of winter wheat. 1. Growth of the root system. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 91, 91–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, P. M. (1978). Mineral nutrition. In The Potato Crop (ed. Harris, P. M.), pp. 195–243. London: Chapman and Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jarvis, R. A. (1968). Soils of the Reading District. Sheet no. 268. Memoirs of the Soil Survey of England and Wales, Harpenden.Google Scholar
Lesczynski, D. B. & Tanner, C. B. (1976). Seasonal variation of root distribution of irrigated, field-grown Russet Burbank potato. American Potato Journal 53, 69–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litchfield, M. H. (1967). The automated analysis of nitrite and nitrate in blood. Analyst 92, 132–136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mengel, D. B. & Barber, S. A. (1974). Rate of nutrient uptake per unit of corn root under field conditions. Journal of Agronomy 66, 399–402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1967). Potential Transpiration. Technical Bulletin no. 16. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1973). The Analysis of Agricultural Materials. Technical Bulletin no. 27. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Murphy, J. & Riley, J. P. (1962). A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Analytica Chimica Acta 27, 31–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nye, P. H. & Tinker, P. B. (1977). Solute Movement in the Soil-Root System. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Omoti, U. & Wild, A. (1979). Use of fluorescent dyes to mark the pathways of solute movement through soils under leaching conditions. 2. Field experiments. Soil Science 128, 98–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reicosky, D. C., Millington, R. J., Klute, A. & Peters, D. B. (1972). Patterns of water uptake and root distribution of soybeans (Glycine max) in the presence of a water table. Agronomy Journal 64, 292–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowse, H. R. & Phillips, D. A. (1974). An instrument for estimating the total length of root in a sample. Journal of Applied Ecology 11, 304–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Technicon Industrial Systems (1974). Ammonium nitrogen/BD acid digests. In Technicon Auto-Analyzer. II. Industrial Method no. 321–74A, pp. 1–3. Tarrytown, New York, Technicon Instruments Corporation.Google Scholar
Varley, J. A. (1966). Automatic methods for the determination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in plant material. Analyst 91, 119–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welbank, P. J., Gibbs, M. J., Taylor, P. J. & Williams, E. D. (1974). Root growth of cereal crops. Rothamsted Experimental Station Annual Report for 1973. Part 2, pp. 22–66.Google Scholar