Effects of non-chemical and chemical fertilizers on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield and quality

Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of natural and chemical fertilizers on yield and quality of potato, a study was conducted at the Agricultural Research Farm of Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. The experiment was a factorial with three factors arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The first factor was tuber inoculation with Nitragin biofertilizer (a combination of Azotobacter species and Azospirillumspecies) at two levels: non inoculated and inoculated. The second factor was HB-101 (a completely organic natural extract) with three levels: non sprayed, one time and two times sprayed onto the potato foliage during the growing season. The third factor was chemical urea fertilizer with two levels: non-used (0) and used at rate of 500 kg/ha. The results showed that the factors had significant effects on tuber yield, tuber weight, the number of tuber per plant, biological yield, harvest index, and tuber nitrate content of potato. The highest tuber yield and the number of tuber per plant were obtained when the tubers were inoculated with Nitragin; urea was used and HB-101 was sprayed two times. Moreover, the lowest tuber nitrate content was obtained when HB-101 was sprayed two times and the tubers were inoculated with Nitragin biofertilizer. It is concluded that integrated application of natural and biological fertilizers along with urea can be useful to enhance potato yield and quality. Key words: Biofertilizer, HB-101, Nitragin, potato, quality, yield.