Maize Straw Return and Nitrogen Rate Effects on Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Performance and Soil Physicochemical Characteristics in Northwest China

Abstract

The average yield of fresh potato tubers per hectare is relatively low in China, partly due to poor nutrient management. Chronic inorganic N enrichment leads to soil acidification, which deteriorates soil fertility. Straw residues are removed from the field or burnt during land preparation, resulting in nutrient depletion and air pollution. However, these residues can be returned to the soil to improve its fertility. Therefore, a two–year experiment was conducted in an existing field with five years of different inorganic nitrogen (N) rate to determine the effects of straw return and N rate on potato growth, tuber yield, and quality, profit margin, and soil physicochemical properties. The experiment consisted of four N rates: 0 (control, CK), 75 (low N rate, LN), 150 (medium N rate, MN), and 300 (high N rate, HN) kg N ha−1 with and without straw (9 t ha−1) return. The results showed that straw with N enrichment improved soil fertility, which increased tuber yield and quality. Compared to the control, MN + straw treatment stimulated economic tuber yield (34.73% and 38.34%), profit margin (55.51% and 63.03%), and protein content (20.04% and 25.46%) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Nitrogen enrichment after straw return is a sustainable practice for stimulating potato tuber yield, profit margin, and improving soil fertility to promote sustainable agriculture development.

Divergent Accumulation of Microbial Residues and Amino Sugars in Loess Soil after Six Years of Different Inorganic Nitrogen Enrichment Scenarios

“…Total N content in the soil increased with an increasing N rate and could probably be attributed to N accumulation from the chronic N enrichment, as crop N depletion was less than N inputs over time. This finding is consistent with Sainju et al [66], Aula et al [70], and Anning et al [77], who reported that total soil N content increased with increasing N fertilization.…”

Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Decreases the Ratios of Soil C to P and N to P, Changes Soil Enzyme Activity, and Reduces Soil Microbial Biomass in Paddy Soil in Southern China

“…Inconsistent with the previous study [31], N deposition did not have a significant effect on the TC or TN contents of the soil due to the enough amount of C and N that provided from the application of basic N fertilizer(180 kg•N ha −1 as urea). During the deposition of nitrogen that was absorbed by the rice leaves and plants under the influence of unfavorable factors, such as evaporation and a loss in the paddy environment, the TC and TN content of the soil did not increase significantly.…”

Reacción de genotipos de papa “criolla” (Solanum tuberosum grupo phureja) al inoculo natural de Rhizoctonia solani Kühn

“…La papa criolla (Solanum tuberosum) grupo phureja es un cultivo de gran expansión en el país con más de 15 mil hectáreas, un rendimiento promedio de 16,4 t. ha -1 y una producción estimada que sobrepasa las 250 mil toneladas, este cultivar tiene alta aceptación a nivel nacional e internacional, siendo el sur de Colombia uno de los mayores centros de diversidad genética del grupo Phureja (Ñústez y Rodriguez, 2020). La producción mundial del tubérculo para los últimos años ha estado alrededor de 371 millones de toneladas en aproximadamente 18 millones de hectáreas, siendo el cultivo como el quinto producto agrícola más cosechado en el mundo, fundamental en la seguridad alimentaria de la población creciente (Anning et al, 2021).…”