Nutrient concentration relationships between the fourth petiole and upper-stem of potato plants

Abstract

Successfully evaluating the nutritional status of a crop during growth and development is dependent upon sampling an identifiable plant part.Consistently sampling a petiole of the same maturity in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) is difficult. We evaluated the nutrient relationships between the upper-stem and the fourth petiole from Russet Burbank plants in field studies having N, P, K, Zn or Mn variables. The upper-stem was obtained by excising the stem below the sixth leaf and removing all leaves and the terminal meristem. Petole NO 3-N, P, K, Zn and Mn concentrations were from deficient to sufficient. The NO 3-N, P and K concentrations were similar in the fourth petiole and upper-stem, while the Zn concentration was 40% higher in the upper-stem. Calcium, Mg and Mn concentrations were lower in the upper-stem than in the fourth petiole. Copper and S relationships were not adequately defined. The fourth petiole's NO 3-N, P and K diagnostic concentrations now used to monitor plant nutrient status can also be used for upper-stem samples. Zinc diagnostic concentrations should be increased, while Ca, Mg and Mn concentrations should be adjusted downward in the upper-tem. Additional data are needed to refine the Ca and Mg relationships, and to establish relationships for Cu, S and other essential nutrients. A significant advantage of using the upper-stem is the elimination of the petiole selection problem when sampling. CompendioLa evaluaciOn exitosa de las condiciones de nutriciOn de un cultivo durante su crecimiento y desarrollo depende en tomar la parte correcta de la planta. El muestreo permanente de un peciolo con igual estado de madurez en el cultivo de papa (Solanum tuberosum L.), es dificil. Se evaluaron las relaciones entre la parte superior del tallo y el cuarto peciolo de plantas Russet Burbank en estudios de campo que tenian aplicaciones variables de N, P, K, Zn o Mn. La parte superior del tallo fue obtenida seccionando al mismo por debajo de la sexta hoja y eliminando todas las hojas y el meristema terminal. Las concentraciones de NO 3-N, P, K, Zn y Mn estuvieron entre deficientes y suficientes. Las concentraciones del NO3-N, del P y del K fueron similares en el cuarto peciolo y en la parte superior del tallo, mientras que la concentraciOn del Zn fue 40% mds alta en la parte superior del tallo. Las concentraciones de Ca, Mg y Mn fueron menores en la parte superior del tallo que en el cuarto peciolo. Las relaciones entre el Cu y el S no fueron definidas adecuadamente. Las concentraciones de diagnOstico de NO B-N, P y K en el cuarto peciolo utilizadas ahora para el seguimiento del estado de nutricinn de las plantas, puede tambien utilizarse para las muestras de la parte superior del tallo. Las concentraciones de diagnOstico del Zn deben ser incrementadas, mientras que las de Ca, Mg y Mn deben rebajarse en la parte superior del tallo. Se requiere de informaciOn adicional para refinar las relaciones del Ca y del Mg y para establecer las relaciones para el Cu, S y otros nutrientes esenciales. Una venta...

Critical phosphorus concentrations in potato plant parts at two growth stages

“…At 20 DAE, critical P concentrations were higher in the petiole and leaflets than in the leaves, stems, and tubers. Being a slightly mobile element, P is translocated to the growing meristem and will tend to accumulate in the youngest plant parts (Westerman et al, 1994). Considering that almost every portion of the potato plant has been used to determine its nutritional status (Gupta and Saxena, 1976), P translocation should be taken into account when selecting the time and plant part used for assessing the P status of the plant.…”

“…However, a specific potato plant part must be taken if the P concentration is to reflect P availability as well as being correlated to yield. The relationship that exists between nutrient element concentration in various potato plant parts and crop yield is already known (Jones et al, 1991;Lorenz, 1944;Reuter and Robinson, 1986;Walworthand Muniz, 1993;Westerman et al, 1994), but norms must be used which take into account the plant part sampled, growth stage, field variation, and variety (Ortiz et al, 1988).…”

Plant Analyses and Interpretation

“…The plant part chosen should be sensitive to nutrient supply, easily identifiable, be related to growth or yield response, have a wide range between deficiency and adequate concentrations, and have a CNC (Ulrich, 1948;Westermann et al, 1994). Examples of using different plant parts are described by Elliott et al (1997c), Hoppo et al (1999), and Knowles et al (1990).…”

Seasonal Variation in Nutrient Status of Australian Waxflowers

“…Because it is often difficult to define and select specific index tissues such as leaves, the use of upper stem tissue has also been investigated for other crops. For example, Westermann and Bosma [4] working with potatoes in the United States, concluded that sampling variability was significantly less with the upper stem tissue compared with the fourth petiole.…”