Abstract
Irrigation and nitrogen management are two of the most important factors affecting production efficiency and environmental quality in potato cropping systems. Field studies were conducted in 1990 and 1991 to determine the interactive effects of irrigation amount and N timing on potato yield, quality and nitrate leaching potential. Sprinkler irrigation was applied at approximately 1.0, 1.2 or 1.4 times estimated evapotranspiration (ET) to Russet Burbank potatoes grown on a silt loam soil. Following tuber initiation, a total of 132 kg N/ha was applied through the irrigation system to N treatment subplots using either six weekly 22 kg N/ha applications or 3 biweekly 44 kg N/ha applications.
Excessive irrigation reduced root zone and petiole NO3-N concentrations during substantial portions of the tuber bulking period. Biweekly 44 kg N/ha applications in 1991 produced higher and more consistent earlyseason root zone NO3-N concentrations in the 1.2 and 1.4 ET plots than did the weekly 22 kg N/ha applications. Late-season tuber dry weight, total plant dry weight and plant N uptake were not affected by irrigation rate or N timing. However, excessive irrigation reduced U.S. No. 1 yield and yield of tubers >284 g in both 1990 and 1991 and reduced total yield in 1990. Biweekly N applications produced higher U.S. No. 1 yields than weekly N applications at all irrigation levels. Excessive irrigation also reduced NO3-N remaining in the top 60 cm of soil at the end of the growing season. These results show that irrigating at optimal rates and applying split N at two week intervals on a silt loam soil can maximize Russet Burbank yield and quality while minimizing NO3-N losses.
Compendio
El manejo del riego y del nitrógeno son dos de los factores más importantes que afectan la eficiencia de la productión y la calidad del ambiente en los sistemas de cultivo de papa. Se condujeron estudios de campo en 1990 y 1991 para determinar los efectos de la interacción de la cantidad de agua aplicada y el momento de aplicación del nitrógeno sobre el rendimiento y la calidad de la papa, y el potencial de lixiviación del nitrógeno. Se aplicó riego por aspersión a aproximadamente 1.0, 1.2 o 1.4 veces la evapotranspiración estimada (ET) a papas Russet Burbank sembradas en un suelo franco-limoso. A continuación del inicio de la tuberización, se aplicaron en el sistema de riego 132 kg N/ha a las subparcelas con tratamiento nitrogenado utilizando ya sea seis aplicaciones semanales de 22 kg N/ha o tres bisemanales de 44 kg N/ha.
El riego excesivo redujo la zona radicular y las concentraciones de NO3-N de los peciolos durante considerable parte del periodo de crecimiento de los tubérculos. En 1991 las aplicaciones bisemanales de 44 kg N/ha produjeron en la temporada temprana en las parcelas de 1.2 y 1.4 ET una mayor y más consistente zona radicular, y concentraciones de NO3N, en comparación con las parcelas con aplicaciones semanales de 22 kg N/ha. El peso seco de tubérculo, el peso seco total por planta y la absorción de N por la planta al final de la temporada no fueron afectados por la cantidad de agua de riego ni por el momento de aplicación del N. Si embargo, el riego excesivo redujo el rendimiento de tubérculos U.S. No. 1 y de tubérculos > de 284 g tanto en 1990 como en 1991 así como también el rendimiento total en 1990. Las aplicaciones bisemanales de N produjeron rendimientos más altos de tubérculos U.S. No. 1 que las aplicaciones semanales a todos los niveles de riego. El riego excesivo redujo también al final de la temporada de cultivo los NO3-N remanentes en los 60 cm superiores del suelo. Estos resultados muestran que irrigando con volúmenes óptimos de agua y aplicando el N dividido a intervalos de dos semanas se puede maximizar el rendimiento y la calidad de Russet Burbank al mismo tiempo que se minimizan las pérdidas de NO3-N.
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Approved for publication by the Director of the Idaho Agric. Expt. Station as research paper No. 92763.
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Stark, J.C., McCann, I.R., Westermann, D.T. et al. Potato response to split nitrogen timing with varying amounts of excessive irrigation. American Potato Journal 70, 765–777 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02849104
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02849104