Effect of Nitrogen Application and Fertigation Scheduling On Potato Yield Performance Under Drip Irrigation System

Abstract

The drip irrigation method offers the potential of higher application efficiency of water and allows precise placement of fertilizer directly in the root zone. The use of drip irrigation also facilitates the frequent application of fertilizer via injection in the irrigation system, which allows the conjunction between nutrient application and time of crop needs. The effect of nitrogen (N) rate and drip fertigation scheduling were evaluated on yield, N uptake, and recovery of potato grown on sandy soil. The N was applied at two rates under regular irrigation (control) or through drip irrigation along with four fertigation schedules including: equal doses applied at the weekly or biweekly intervals and different doses based on growth curve characters (12.5, 25, 50, and 12.5% of the total N amount) at the same intervals, for initial, developmental, mid, and mature stages, respectively. The N rate and wise fertigation scheduling significantly affected yield and yield components except for the tuber number per plant. The higher tuber yield was associated with a higher N rate when the respective nutrient was stage wise scheduled and typically responded to growth curve character than equal scheduling at any time intervals. The increase in yield was higher with wise weekly by 13 and 22% than with equal weekly or biweekly intervals, respectively. For this scenario, the modeled crop uptake at the weekly interval was 16% higher than equal applied at the same interval or even greater by 31% than equal applied at the biweekly interval. Similarly, the higher N rate and wise weekly scheduling increased N recovery and N use efficiency (NUE). Soil N movement with wise scheduling resulted in lesser leaching of NO3−-N to deeper soil layers, particularly with wise weekly scheduling. The framework presented in this study regarding the rate and N scheduling to copy with plant growth curve can sustain high crop yield while reducing NO3−-N leaching, increasing N uptake and recover.

Irrigation Water and Nitrogen Fertilizer Management in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.): A Review

“…US No.1 yields were higher, with three biweekly applications of 44 kg N/ha as compared to six weekly applications of 22 kg N/ha [69]. Badr et al [74] found that weekly drip fertigation of N fertilizer through the crop stage-wise fertigation strategy (N supply partitioned as 12.5, 25, 50, and 12.5% of total N supply at initial, development, mid, and maturation stage, respectively) with 360 kg N/ha increased tuber yield by 13 and 22% as compared to weekly and biweekly equal fertigation strategy, respectively. Errebhi et al [117] discovered that increasing the applied N rates at planting from 0 to 135 kg N/ha significantly increased culls and smallsized tubers while increasing average NO 3 − leaching beyond 140 cm soil depth by 91 kg N/ha for the 'Russet Burbank' potato.…”

“…The timing of fertilizer application was also found to affect the NUE in potato crops. The weekly fertigation of N fertilizer through crop stage-wise fertigation scheduling had a higher NUE as compared to biweekly crop stage-wise fertigation scheduling and both weekly and biweekly equal fertigation scheduling in 'Cara' potato cultivar [74]. However, Zebarth et al [123] concluded that N fertilization, either at planting or hilling, had no significant impact on NUE during seasons of sufficient soil moisture, but a split application of N could result in reduced nitrogen uptake efficiency during dry seasons.…”

“…Under sprinkler irrigation, it was observed that the wetting depth of soil was higher at the hills during the early growth stage of potatoes, whereas the wetting depth was higher at the furrows during the later growth stages of potatoes due to interception by outer foliage and runoff from the sides of hills [73]. For N rates of 240 and 360 kg N/ha, the tuber yield under drip fertigation scheduling increased by 25.3 and 36.4%, respectively, compared to regular irrigation [74]. However, surface drip irrigation in potato cultivation interferes with intercultural operations like weeding, hilling, and tuber harvesting [75].…”