Irrigation Management in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Production: A Review

Abstract

Limited water resources coupled with the increase of the human population calls for more efficient use of water in irrigated agriculture. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most widely grown crops worldwide and is very sensitive to water stress due to its shallow rooting system. With the dilemma of potato sensitivity to drought and limited available water resources restricting crop production, researchers and crop growers have been investigating different approaches for optimizing potato yield and improving crop water use efficiency under different irrigation methods. While potato response to water is affected by other management practices such as fertilizer management, the present review is focused on the potato response to water under different environments and different irrigation methods and the impact on potato quality and potato diseases. Variable results obtained from research studies indicate the non-transferability of the results from one location to another as potato cultivars are not the same and potato breeders are still making effort to develop new high-yielding varieties to increase crop production and or develop new varieties for a specific trait to satisfy consumers exigence. This review is a valuable source of information for potato growers and scientists as it is not only focused on the impact of irrigation regimes on potato yield and water productivity as most reviews on water management, but it also presents the impact of irrigation regime on diseases in potatoes, tuber specific gravity, metabolite content of the tubers and the quality of the processed potato products.

Effects of supplemental irrigation on yield, water use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency of potato grown in mollic Andosols

“…Begum et al (2018) found that supplemental irrigation is very important for potato in the areas with a high drought frequency due to the high yield of potato in a short time and if shortage of readily available water in the soil is eliminated it is possible to achieve high and stable potato yield of 40-50 t/ha or more. Previous studies found an increase in tuber number/plant and marketable potato yield of irrigated potato compared to rain-fed production (Abu El-Fotoh et al 2019;Djaman et al 2021;Waqas et al 2021). Djaman et al (2021) also reported the highest tuber number/plant under full irrigation.…”

“…Previous studies found an increase in tuber number/plant and marketable potato yield of irrigated potato compared to rain-fed production (Abu El-Fotoh et al 2019;Djaman et al 2021;Waqas et al 2021). Djaman et al (2021) also reported the highest tuber number/plant under full irrigation.…”

Characteristics of Organically Grown Compared to Conventionally Grown Potato and the Processed Products: A Review

“…Potato is consumed by humans under many different preparations-boiled, baked, fried, snack, chips, starch-and is a significant source of carbohydrates [3,4], protein [3,5,6], minerals [6], vitamin C [4], and phenolic compounds [6]. Potato crop is very sensitive to water stress [7][8][9], nitrogen fertilizer deficiency, and is subject to a wide variety of disorders and diseases. Aboveground disorders and diseases include early blight (Alternaria solani), late blight (Phytophthora infestans), Fusarium dry rot (Fusarium spp.…”

Combining Thermal and RGB Imaging Indices with Multivariate and Data-Driven Modeling to Estimate the Growth, Water Status, and Yield of Potato under Different Drip Irrigation Regimes

“…Previous studies have reported that the optimum water requirements for achieving a high TTY in potato crops varies from 350 to 800 mm [15,18,87]. However, Ferreira and Carr [88] reported that the potato variety Desirée required 150-550 mm of irrigation water when growing under hot and dry climate conditions, while El-Abedin et al [16] showed that the water requirement of potato reached 1505 mm in Saudi Arabia, which is a typical example of an arid country.…”

“…Potato is also a short-duration crop that produces large and sensitive foliage in response to soil moisture stress [10,11]. Several studies have confirmed that small errors in irrigation water management in potato production and exposure of potato plants to deficit irrigation, particularly during the sensitive growth stages, causes a tremendous reduction in the quantity and quality of tuber yield and the net economic return of the production system [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Consequently, correct irrigation water management is required to simultaneously maximize the yield and irrigation water use efficiency of potato under deficit irrigation conditions [18].…”