Optimum Fertilization Rates for Crops with Multi-Harvest Periods

Abstract

T HE USUAL fertilizer response analysis is concerned with determining optimum applications of nutrients via an estimated production function where nutrient applications are made at planting time or thereabouts, and the crop is harvested in total at maturity. This paper deals with a special type of fertilizer response problem encountered with certain specialty crops such as melons, fresh market tomatoes and cucumbers, wherein harvest occurs as a continuous process rather than at a single point in time.Multiple harvest periods would create no unique problems in determining optimum fertilizer application rates except that (1) product prices are generally variable throughout the harvest season and (2) nutrients frequently interact to affect ripening or maturity dates as well as affecting total yield. That is, application of one element may increase total yield for the season but delay maturity (i.e., lengthen the time between planting and ripening) while the application of a second element may hasten maturity. Interestingly, the methodological problem discussed in this paper falls between the usual fertilizer response problem and the livestock feeding problems where inputs (feed) are applied at time intervals, and output (gain or milk) is realized at time intervals also.' Specifically, it is the purpose of this paper to propose one method for determining optimum fertilizer levels for crops with multiple harvest periods and to provide an empirical illustration of the procedure using experimental data on cantaloupe production. The Data UsedData for the following analysis were derived from an experiment conducted on Panoche clay loam soil." The soil was relatively fertile in that it had been cropped to well-fertilized irrigated crops for a number of .. Giannini Foundation Paper No. 241.

Efficiency Indexes for Melon Crop Optimization

“…This may be interpreted as being the optimal range for maximum yield, after which the value declines. Crops such as melon, with multiple harvest dates, entail additional problems for optimization of the fertilizer dosage, because nutrients frequently interact to affect ripening or maturity dates as well as total yield (Eidman et al, 1963). As noted above for FY and MFY, the crop was harvested in accordance with local practice.…”

An analysis of farmers’ use of phosphorus fertiliser in industrial agriculture: a case study in the Bordeaux region (south-western France)

“…According to farmers, such a fertilisation approach was at least partly justified by the fact that P fertilisers were used to boost the growth of spring crops. Very early crop nutrient requirements are important to boost spring crop growth and, hence, to face adverse climatic conditions, pest attacks or to promote earlier maturity, particularly for horticultural crops (Greenwood et al 2001;Eidman et al 1963;Wortmann et al 2006). Moreover, using P fertiliser to boost spring crops may be a rational choice here since most soil P tests indicated medium to high availability of P (see ''Use of soil analysis as a fertilisation decision tool'').…”

Optimización del Abonado Nitrogenado en el Melón (Cucumis Melo L.) Tipo Piel de Sapo

“…Este valor de Nup puede ser interpretado como el valor óptimo de Nup y representa la cantidad mínima de N a la que debe tener acceso el cultivo para obtener la máxima producción, y a partir del cual la producción disminuye. Los cultivos como el melón, que presentan múltiples cosechas a lo largo del ciclo de cultivo, implican problemas adicionales para optimizar la dosis fertilizante, ya que los nutrientes frecuentemente interaccionan pudiendo afectar a la maduración o a las fechas de madurez de los frutos como a la producción total (Eidman et al, 1963). Dasberg et al (1983) han señalado que, en algunas especies, elevadas dosis de N pueden retrasar la madurez de los frutos, y Delgado et al (2004) afirman que puede causar un sustancial retraso en la acumulación de azúcares durante el período de madurez perjudicando negativamente a la calidad de la cosecha.…”