Abstract
The present work evaluated the effect of soil (S) and foliage (F) applied potassium on the growth, yield, and quality of potato plants. Potassium was added in soil at the recommended rate for all the treatments combining mineral fertilizers with K-feldspar and biofertilizers, while foliar spraying included the application of potassium citrate (PC), potassium silicate (PS), and monopotassium phosphate (MP). The obtained results showed that plant height was highest following treatment with 100% mineral potassium fertilizer under the foliar application of MP, while the content of P, K, and total carbohydrates in leaves also increased with the same fertilization treatment. On the other hand, the highest values for number of stems and fresh and dry weight per plant, as well as the highest nitrogen content in leaves, were obtained after the addition of mineral potassium fertilizer and the foliar spraying of PC, regardless of the growing season. Yield parameters were positively affected by the combination of mineral potassium fertilizers (100% or 80% K2SO4 + 20% K-feldspar + biofertilizer) and the foliar spraying of MP, while the total nitrogen, protein, amino acids, potassium, phosphorus, and starch content of tubers were positively affected by the same mineral fertilizer treatments combined with foliar spraying of MP or CP. In conclusion, the application of mineral potassium fertilizer with foliar spraying of MP or CP increased most of the plant growth- and tuber chemical composition-related parameters. These results highlight the importance of potassium fertilizer regimes for achieving high tuber yields and improving the quality of tubers in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.
Highlights
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of most important food crops and can be used in human nutrition as a low-cost energy source
Regarding the effect of foliar applications, plant height was beneficially affected by monopotassium phosphate (MP) in the 1st growing season, whereas no significant differences were observed among the treatments in the second growing season
According to the literature, increasing potassium application rates at 139 kg ha−1 and 183 kg ha−1 resulted in taller plants and increased total leaf area and chlorophyll content, respectively, suggesting that plant growth and crop performance are regulated by potassium availability in soil [4]
Summary
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of most important food crops and can be used in human nutrition as a low-cost energy source. It is an affordable food with significant content of starch, minerals, vitamin C and B, and amino acids and is highly appreciated worldwide [1]. According to the FAO, potato is a very important vegetable crop throughout the world, while in Africa total production in 2019 was 26.5 million tons harvested from approximately 1.76 million hectares [2]. Potassium (K) is an important macro nutrient for vegetable crops, including potato, because plant requirements for K are higher than any other macro nutrient after nitrogen [3,4]. K is highly involved in potato plant growth and development [6,7], and can assist plants in adapting to biotic and abiotic stressors such as pathogens, drought, and extreme temperatures [8]
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