Influence of organic fertilizers on potato yield and quality in different humidity years

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of organic fertilizers on the potato tubers yield and nutrient accumulation. Experiments were carried out at the Vokė Branch of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry in 2016–2018. The experiments were performed in stationary concrete cylindrical 24 lysimeters on sandy loam and loamy sand Haplic Luvisol, with a surface area of 1.75 m2 and a test soil layer of 1.35 cm. Fertilization with three randomized replications on each side of lysimeters were the following: 1) control (no fertilizer); 2) NPK organic fertilizers (Provita, phosphorite powder, potassium magnesia); 3) 40 t ha–1 sapropel; 4) 60 t ha–1 manure. The results of the experiments suggest that 40 t ha–1 sapropel and 60 t ha–1 manure fertilizers increase potato tuber yields in both soils (sandy loam soil and loamy sand soil). Inserted NPK fertilizers produced the highest yield (in 2017 and 2019) of a small fraction of potato tubers. The findings suggest that during the drier period, in 2019, the accumulation of all elements increased about 0.7–7 times in both soils. The starch content in the tubers was dependent mostly on the meteorological conditions.