Tuning Potassium and Magnesium Fertilization of Potato in the South of West Siberia

Abstract

Imbalance of nutrients limits crop yields. Although K fertilization receives sufficient attention in research and practice, Mg supply is rather neglected. The effect of Mg fertilization (0, 5 and 10 g Mg/m2), combined with two K fertilization rates (10 and 15 g K/m2), on potato production and soil exchangeable K and Mg was studied in a three-season microplot field experiment in the Novosibirsk region, Russia. Tuber yield did not respond to the increased K fertilization, but increased at 5 and decreased at 10 g Mg/m2. Total Mg concentration in tubers increased at 15 g K/m2, whereas N, P and K were not affected by fertilization. The tuber yield was maximal (3.6 kg/m2) at 10 g K/m2 and 5 g Mg/m2. Soil exchangeable Mg increased by the year, resulting in preferential development of the aboveground phytomass due to apparently increased Mg availability and K/Mg imbalance. Potato production depended on the year, strongly implicating weather conditions. Therefore, the weather and the chemical nature of K and Mg fertilizers (as pertinent to their release mode from fertilizer in soil), are important for balancing their proportions and amounts while assessing interactions among nutrients in potato production and adjusting regional fertilization strategies.

Magnesium in Soils of Agricultural Landscapes of Western Siberia

“…On the contrary, in the control variant of the experiment on Luvic Greyzemic Phaeozem soil, the content of easily exchangeable magnesium significantly decreased in comparison with virgin soil. The level of humus in this soil during its agricultural use has significantly decreased (Table 2) and the cultivation of row crops contributed to a certain activation of the leaching processes; it is known that magnesium ions have an increased migratory ability (Senbayram et al, 2015;Chernousenko et al, 2023) In addition, the removal of the element with the alienated main and secondary plant products could also have a certain effect (Yakimenko and Naumova, 2021).…”

Uncovering the Interaction between Potassium, Magnesium and Sulfur on Cassava Growth and Root Yield

“…However, recent research has shown that cassava yields increase if fertilizer is applied [4,5]. Among the factors limiting cassava yields, nutrient imbalances and/or deficiencies have received little attention, yet, are likely to contribute to a large portion of the current yield gap [6,7].…”