The Impact of Fertilization Regime on the Crop Performance and Chemical Composition of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivated in Central Greece

Abstract

Potato cultivation is quite demanding in inorganic nutrients and adequate fertilization is a key factor for maximizing yield and producing tubers of high quality. In the present study, a field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of various forms of fertilization on crop performance and the nutritional value and chemical composition of two potato varieties (cv. Spunta and cv. Kennebec). For this purpose, five different fertilizer treatments were applied namely: control (C), standard fertilizer (T1), standard fertilizer + zeolite (T2), manure (T3) and slow release nitrogen fertilizer (T4). According to the results, it was observed that slow release treatment (T4) achieved the highest yield for both varieties, while the control treatment presented significantly lower yield compared to the studied fertilization regimes. The dry matter of leaves and shoots was higher in T1 treatment for cv. Kennebec and in T2 and T4 treatments for cv. Spunta, whereas the control treatment presented the highest dry matter content in tubers for cv. Kennebec and T2 and T3 treatments for cv. Spunta. A significant effect of the fertilization regime was also observed on the nutritional value of tubers and more specifically the protein, ash and fat content was increased by treatments T1 and T4, while carbohydrate content was also increased by T3 and T4 treatments for both varieties. Similarly, the total sugars, organic acids, β-carotene and lycopene content was increased in T3 treatment for the Spunta variety, while the antioxidant capacity showed a varied response depending on the fertilizer regime and the tested variety. In conclusion, the fertilization regime has a significant effect not only on the tuber yield but also on the quality of the final product and should be considered as an effective tool to increase the added value of potato crop.

The Optimization of Nitrogen Fertilization Regulates Crop Performance and Quality of Processing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Heinz 3402)

“…Similarly to in our study, Zhang et al [86] reported that increased nitrogen availability resulted in an increase in organic acid content in spinach, while the nitrogen source may also affect organic acid content in edible greens [87,88]. Moreover, the addition of zeolite seems to have a beneficial effect on organic acid accumulation, a finding that is probably associated with the better nitrogen availability in soil after zeolite application [41,89]. Heeb et al [90] also observed significant differences in citric and malic acid content when organic and inorganic fertilizers were applied in tomato plants, while these differences accreted when the nitrogen application rates were increased.…”

“…The fertilization regime was similar to that in a recent study published by our team where all the treatments and the used fertilizers are described in detail [41]. Briefly, five fertilizer treatments with four replications (n = 4) were implemented as follows: (i) control (C), (ii) conventional fertilizer (21-0-0, N-P-K) (CF), (iii) slow release nitrogen fertilizer 46-0-0 (SR), (iv) conventional fertilizer (21-0-0, N-P-K) + Zeolite (CFZ), and v) composted sheep manure (M).…”

“…Each experimental plot included 5 rows of 10 plants each (50 plants in each plot and approximately 30,300 plants/ha). The present experiment is part of a series of trials carried out in the same field with the same treatment allocation and different crops (processing tomato, potato and onion), and here, we present the results regarding the processing tomato crop [41]. The soil conditions of the experimental field have been previously described by Karkanis and Petropoulos [42].…”

The Role of Humate Substances in Controlling Synergism and Antagonism of Nutrients Uptake by Potato Plants.

“…Data show that the highest values of Cacontent in tuber were obtained with soil addition of HS with M3 fertilizers (4.47, 4.87 kgfed-1) the second values with soil addition of HS with M5 (4.21, 4.61 kgfed-1) but values low when added (M4)fertilizers with soil addition of HS (2.50, 2.75 kgfed-1)in first and second season, respectively. Table 8, demonstrated that, the highest values of Mg-content in tuber were obtained with soil addition of HS with M4 fertilizers (2.54, 2.75 kgfed-1) the second values with soil addition of HS with M5 (2.53, 2.71 kgfed-1)but values low when added M3 fertilizers with soil addition of HS (1.70, 1.86 kg fed-1) in first and second season respectively.These results are harmony with those obtained by Allison et al(2001), and Petropoulos et al(2020), who found that increasing the N supply to the crop was often associated with an increase in the concentration of Mg in leaves and stems. This may due to N facilitating Mg uptake or a consequence of N delaying canopy senescence and, thus, delaying the translocation of Mg to tubers.…”

The Effect of Nitrogen Fertigation and Harvesting Time on Plant Growth and Chemical Composition of Centaurea raphanina subsp. mixta (DC.) Runemark

“…Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient that has to be replenished with fertilizer application before and during the growing period based on the cropping schedule of farmers [27,28]. In contrast to conventional crops, several studies have indicated the low requirements of wild or semi-domesticated species in nitrogen and agrochemical inputs, which further emphasize the importance of integrating such novel/alternative species in modern farming systems aiming at sustainable production of horticultural products [9,[29][30][31].…”