Time, method of application, and placement of fertilizer for efficient production of potatoes in New England

Summary and conclusions

The limited experimental results on time, method of application, and placement of fertilizer for potatoes on acid New England soils in agood state of productivity, indicate no increases in yields from methods other than applying all the fertilizer in the row in the standard sideplacement method described on page 108.

The advantage of row application of the phosphorus carrier over other placements include reduction of phosphorus fixation onhighly acid potato soils and nearness to the young plant.

However, with heavy rates of fertilizer, all applied in the row side bands, greater care must be exercised to obtain precise placement to avoid fertilizer injury to the seed and young plant.

A more efficient method of row application of fertilizer for potatoes may be obtained by modifying the all-in-the-row side band placement method as follows:

• 1. Where inactivation of high amounts of soluble aluminum in soils extremely toxic to potatoes is a problem, superphosphate may be used more efficiently by applying it in an eight-inch band over the shallow-covered seed instead of in side bands.

• 2. Under Connecticut conditions it has been found that potatoes may be fertilized at less cost by side-dressing part of the nitrogen as ammonium nitrate when the plants are about 6 to 10 inches high. By side-dressing part of the nitrogen, less nitrogen is subject to leaching particularly on sandy soils, as compared with applying all the nitrogen at time of planting.