Articles
RESPONSE OF SWEETPOTATO (IPOMOEA BATATAS) TO APPLICATION OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZERS IN THE NORTHERN HIGHLANDS OF TANZANIA
Article number
703_27
Pages
219 – 224
Language
English
Abstract
Experiments were conducted in the Northern highlands of Tanzania to determine the response of sweetpotato to and agronomic optimum benefit of applying nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer to volcanic soils.
A sweetpotato local cultivar Tengeru Red/Sinia was tested with different levels of nitrogen (0, 30 and 90 kg N ha-1) and phosphorus (0, 60 and 120 kg P ha-1) in a complete randomized block design.
Analysis of variance revealed that both nitrogen and phosphorus had significant mean squares (p≤ 0.05) for fresh root and biomass yields.
Nitrogen also affected significantly (p≤ 0.05) harvest index and plant vigor.
There were significant nitrogen by phosphorus interaction effects on fresh root and biomass yields.
Highest fresh root yield (21 t ha-1) was obtained from a treatment with 30 kg N ha-1 combined with 60 kg P ha-1. Lowest root yield (8.5 t ha-1) was obtained in the control treatment.
Fresh root data were subjected to agronomic optimum benefit analysis by response curves on nitrogen and phosphorus.
A quadratic model gave a better fit to both nitrogen and phosphorus (R2=1), and the agronomic optimum benefit was 46.0 kg N ha-1 and 73.3 kg P ha-1. Nitrogen and phosphorus were agronomically beneficial for increasing the fresh root yield by over 38%. Increased yields were associated with improved nutrient status in the soil through fertilizer application.
A sweetpotato local cultivar Tengeru Red/Sinia was tested with different levels of nitrogen (0, 30 and 90 kg N ha-1) and phosphorus (0, 60 and 120 kg P ha-1) in a complete randomized block design.
Analysis of variance revealed that both nitrogen and phosphorus had significant mean squares (p≤ 0.05) for fresh root and biomass yields.
Nitrogen also affected significantly (p≤ 0.05) harvest index and plant vigor.
There were significant nitrogen by phosphorus interaction effects on fresh root and biomass yields.
Highest fresh root yield (21 t ha-1) was obtained from a treatment with 30 kg N ha-1 combined with 60 kg P ha-1. Lowest root yield (8.5 t ha-1) was obtained in the control treatment.
Fresh root data were subjected to agronomic optimum benefit analysis by response curves on nitrogen and phosphorus.
A quadratic model gave a better fit to both nitrogen and phosphorus (R2=1), and the agronomic optimum benefit was 46.0 kg N ha-1 and 73.3 kg P ha-1. Nitrogen and phosphorus were agronomically beneficial for increasing the fresh root yield by over 38%. Increased yields were associated with improved nutrient status in the soil through fertilizer application.
Publication
Authors
S.K. Sebastiani, A. Mgonja, F. Urio, T. Ndondi
Keywords
fertilizer response, root yield, harvest index, biomass
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