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The influence of fertilizers on the specific gravity of potatoes grown in Minnesota

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Summary

Specific gravity measurments were obtained for samples of potatoes from 37 fertilizer experiments in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and on sandy soils near St. Paul, Minnesota in 1943 and 1944.

The greatest differences in specific gravity were found between locations. Nitrogen fertilizer had no apparent influence on specific gravity. The phosphate fertilizer caused a small but significant increase in specific gravity, particularly when used at the higher rates of application.

The potash fertilizers containing chlorides caused a marked reduction in specific gravity, and the higher the application the greater the depression. Sulfate of potash did not reduce the specific gravity of the potatoes, indicating that it is the chloride anion which is responsible for increasing the water content of potatoes.

Fertilizer treatment did not appear to influence the occurrence of hollow heart in potatoes.

A correlation coefficient of r=0.8686 between specific gravity and dry matter was found for 260 smaples of potatoes from the Red River Valley.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Paul, Minn.

    L. E. Dunn (Research fellow in Soils) & R. E. Nylund (Instructor in Horticulture)

Authors
  1. L. E. Dunn
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  2. R. E. Nylund
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Paper No. 2227 of scientific Journal Series, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Paul, Minn.

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Dunn, L.E., Nylund, R.E. The influence of fertilizers on the specific gravity of potatoes grown in Minnesota. American Potato Journal 22, 275–288 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02863527

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