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.

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/1/165/pdf

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

Spatial Variation of Soil Health Indices in a Commercial Potato Field in Eastern Canada

Spent coffee grounds by-products and their influence on soil C-N dynamics.

Spent coffee grounds by-products and their influence on soil C–N dynamics

Soil quality has declined with intensive potato production practices in New Brunswick, Canada. Compost application may rapidly increase soil organic matter (SOM) and reverse declining productivity. This study assessed five diverse compost products for their short-term effects on soil quality, and in particular SOM. Selected compost products derived from a range of forestry, marine, and municipal waste materials were compared with a non-amended control. Treatments were applied to field plots at 45 Mg ha–¹ dry weight in October of 2014 and 2015. Biological, chemical and physical soil properties under potato production in 2015 and 2016 (after one and after two consecutive applications) were used to evaluate soil quality. Compost application increased soil pH and concentrations of Mehlich-3 extractable nutrients (K, Ca, Mg, and S). Compost reduced bulk density in the potato hill by 8% in both years. Particulate organic matter (POM) was the most sensitive indicator to compost-application with twofold increases in POM-C. Compost application increased soil organic carbon by 24% in 2016 and also increased permanganate oxidizable carbon, and soil respiration. Several soil properties were strongly correlated with compost composition, with better quality composts (i.e., more mature; greater in C, N, and other plant-available nutrient concentrations) producing the greatest soil quality response. Overall, mature composts with greater C concentrations (i.e., low ash) and greater dry matter were most suitable for enhancing soil quality in New Brunswick potato production systems.

Short-Term Effects of Diverse Compost Products on Soil Quality in Potato Production

Compost application to agricultural fields can increase soil organic matter content and soil productivity. This study compared diverse compost products with a non-amended control in small plot and on-farm trials for effects on tuber yield and plant nutrient availability under rain-fed potato production in New Brunswick, Canada. In the small plot trial, mature compost products resulted in a small increase in plant N availability, whereas immature products resulted in net N immobilization. Composts high in K increased plant K availability. However, these effects on nutrient availability did not result in a significant effect on tuber yield. In on-farm trials, compost did not significantly increase yield averaged across 19 site-years of trials. This suggests that any short-term nutrient benefit from application of these wood waste and manure based composts is unlikely to influence crop yield, although there may be the potential to reduce nutrient application rates, particularly for K.

Effect of Diverse Compost Products on Potato Yield and Nutrient Availability

Soilborne diseases result in major economic losses for potato producers. Compost application can reduce soilborne diseases, however the effects of compost products on potato disease severity and incidence are still unclear. Diverse compost products were compared for their effects on soilborne diseases of potato in New Brunswick, Canada using field and growth room experiments. In the field, five products were applied at 45 Mg ha−1 dry weight to field plots in October of 2014 and 2015. In the growth room experiment, seven products were mixed to a 5% w/w ratio with naturally infested soil. Tubers were assessed for disease severity and incidence and compared with a no compost addition control. Severity of symptoms of silver scurf, black scurf (BS), common scab (CS), and powdery scab varied among treatments, experiments, and years. In the field experiment, BS severity was significantly greater in the control than in the poultry manure compost treatment (3.26% versus 0.90%) in 2016. Common scab severity...

Carolyn Wilson

Papers

Short-Term Effects of Diverse Compost Products on Soil Quality in Potato Production

Effect of Diverse Compost Products on Potato Yield and Nutrient Availability

Effect of Diverse Compost Products on Soilborne Diseases of Potato

Diverse compost products influence soil bacterial and fungal community diversity in a potato crop production system