Applying poultry manure and irrigation in cultivating potatoes in the southern forest-steppe of the Bashkortostan Republic

Abstract

The goal of this research is to determine the effect of poultry manure and irrigation on the yield and quality of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) grown in fields located on the southern steppe of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Before the poultry manure was added, it was treated with a microbiological fertilizer to suppress pathogenic microflora. Potato tubers were pretreated with an insectofungicide to avoid infestation. During vegetation, potato leaves and tubers were studied at the stage of the full blossom, leaves’ decay and potato harvest. The results showed tuber yields with the application of pretreated poultry manure to be 120 t/ha, both on the rainfed and irrigated plots (from 0.23 to 0.82 kg/plant and from 0.24 to 1.02 kg/plant, respectively). On the rainfed and irrigated plots where poultry manure was not applied (control fields), the tubers’ weight ranged from 0.08 to 0.31 kg/plant and from 0.16 to 0.5 kg/plant, respectively. Along with this, poultry manure utilization also affected the starch content of potatoes—it ranged from 12.9% (for irrigated plots with 80 t/ha poultry manure applied) to 19.2% (for rainfed plots without fertilizers). Laboratory analyses revealed that the nitrate content increased from 171.80 to 232.98 mg/kg on rainfed plots (depending on the introduced amount of poultry manure) and by 7.91%–15.19% on irrigated plots. Upon application of 40 t/ha of manure, under irrigation, the highest marketable value of tubers was 78%. On the rainfed plots, the same value was 72% when applying poultry manure at a dose of 120 t/ha.