RESPONSE OF POTATOES TO ORGANIC FERTILISER RATE: YIELD, TUBER QUALITY AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE

Potatoes were grown during spring-summer 2003 and 2004 at the experimental farm of CCORAV located at Grotte di Castro, Viterbo, Central Italy to evaluate the impact of 5 rates of a guano-based organic fertiliser on yield, tuber quality, nitrogen uptake, and nitrogen use efficiency.
A randomized complete block design with four replicates was used to compare 5 rates (0, 0.5, 10, 15, 20 t ha^-1) of a guano-based fertiliser (10.0N-1.3P-2.5K). Rate of organic fertiliser did not affect yield of large size tubers (> 75 mm) and small size tubers (< 45 mm). Increasing the fertiliser rate increased linearly the marketable yield of medium size tubers (> 45-75 mm) and total marketable yield.
There was a linear relationship between leaf N concentration at blooming stage and fertiliser rates, which suggested that the effect observed on marketable yield was probably due to N status.
Tuber nitrogen uptake increased by increasing fertiliser rate while the opposite was observed for nitrogen use efficiency.

Meeting of the Physiology Section of the European Association for Potato Research

G. Colla, M. Cardarelli, Y. Rouphael, A. Fiorillo, B. Cirica

Solanum tuberosum L., guano, organic fertiliser, nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.684.9