Potato Growth and Yield Characteristics under Different Cropping System Management Strategies in Northeastern U.S.

Abstract

Cropping systems and management practices that improve soil health may greatly enhance crop productivity. Four different potato cropping systems designed to address specific management goals of soil conservation (SC), soil improvement (SI), disease suppression (DS), and a status quo (SQ) standard rotation, along with a non-rotation (PP) control, were evaluated for their effects on potato crop growth, nutrient, and yield characteristics under both irrigated and non-irrigated (rainfed) conditions in field trials in Maine, USA, from 2004 to 2010. Both cropping system and irrigation significantly (p < 0.05) affected most potato crop parameters associated with growth and yield. All rotations increased tuber yield relative to the non-rotation PP control, and the SI system, which included yearly compost amendments, resulted in overall higher yields and a higher percentage of large-size tubers than all other systems with no irrigation (increases of 14 to 90%). DS, which contained disease-suppressive green manures and cover crops, produced the highest yields overall under irrigation (increases of 11 to 35%). Irrigation increased tuber yields in all cropping systems except SI (average increase of 27–37%). SI also resulted in significant increases in leaf area duration and chlorophyll content (as indicators of photosynthetic potential) and root and shoot biomass relative to other cropping systems, particularly under non-irrigated conditions. SI also resulted in higher shoot and tuber tissue concentrations of N, P, and K, but not most micronutrients. Overall, cropping systems that incorporate management practices such as increased rotation length and the use of cover crops, green manures, reduced tillage, and particularly, organic amendments, can substantially improve potato crop growth and yield. Irrigation also substantially increased growth and yield under normal field conditions in Maine, but SI, with its large organic amendments, was essentially a substitute for irrigation, producing comparable results without irrigation.

Characteristics of Organically Grown Compared to Conventionally Grown Potato and the Processed Products: A Review

“…Some specific plants considered as cover crops such as sudangrass and different species of Brassica have been used as a green manure and biofumigant to reduce nematode populations preceding potatoes and weed emergence [42][43][44]. Cover crops that have reportedly suppressed weeds through direct competition or release of allelopathic compounds during decomposition of residues include rye, oats, barley, rapeseed, mustards, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, and buckwheat [42,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. Mustard foliage and seeds contain glucosinolate compounds that upon hydrolysis produce isothiocyanates, which act as natural bio-fumigants [57][58][59].…”

“…Cover crops are planted by both organic and conventional potato growers for multiple objectives: Nitrogen fixation, soil hydraulic properties improvement, disease and nematode suppression, adding more organic matter to the soil, nutrients reclamation, etc. [51,56,[60][61][62]. With cultivation as the only weed management practice in potato production, weed density increased with reduction in tuber yield compared to hand weeding or herbicide application [63,64].…”

“…Organic farming heavily relies on crop rotations and improved cropping systems incorporating management practices associated with soil health management (crop rotation length, cover crop species choice, and green manures, organic matter amendments, and minimum tillage). Larkin et al [56] found that disease suppression practices, which included disease-suppressive green manures and cover crops, produced the highest yields compared to soil improvement, soil conservation, and status quo practices representing yield increase from 11 to 35%. The disease suppression system consisted of a three-year rotation with the disease-suppressive Brassica "Caliente 119", Mustard Blend (blend of oriental and white mustard seeds, Brassica juncea L. and Sinapis alba L.) grown as a green manure, followed by a fall cover crop of rapeseed (Brassica napus L." Dwarf Essex") in the first year [56].…”

“…Larkin et al [56] found that disease suppression practices, which included disease-suppressive green manures and cover crops, produced the highest yields compared to soil improvement, soil conservation, and status quo practices representing yield increase from 11 to 35%. The disease suppression system consisted of a three-year rotation with the disease-suppressive Brassica "Caliente 119", Mustard Blend (blend of oriental and white mustard seeds, Brassica juncea L. and Sinapis alba L.) grown as a green manure, followed by a fall cover crop of rapeseed (Brassica napus L." Dwarf Essex") in the first year [56]. In the second year, a disease-suppressive sorghum-sudangrass hybrid (Sorghum bicolor x S. bicolor var.…”

“…The use of Brassica spp. and sudangrass cover crops preceding potato planting reduces the pressure of the soilborne diseases on potato plant and the tuber [54,56,112,113]. The mechanism of action of the disease-suppressive crops used involves biofumigation, the breakdown of plant metabolites in soil to produce volatile toxic compounds that can reduce populations of weeds, nematodes, and plant pathogens [50,100,111,114,115].…”