Responses of yield, quality and water use efficiency of potato grown under different drip irrigation and nitrogen levels

Abstract

Proper irrigation and fertilization are essential for achieve high tuber yield and quality in potato production. However, the high cost of these inputs necessitate optimization of their use to improve both water use efficiency and crop productivity. This study aimed to investigate the impact of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on potato yield, quality and water use efficiency. The research included different drip irrigation treatments (100%, 66%, and 33% of field capacity) and nitrogen levels: 0 (N0), 100 (N1), 200 (N2), 300 (N3), 400 (N4) and 500 (N5) kg N ha−1. The results indicated that potato yield and growth were more sensitive to irrigation treatment than nitrogen levels. Full irrigation with 300 kg N ha−1 produced the highest total tuber yield, while low irrigation treatments resulted in significantly lower yields. In contrast, the 66% field capacity irrigation treatment consistently had the highest water use efficiency in both years of the study. Furthermore, the study showed that the quality characteristics of the tubers were negatively impacted by full irrigation treatments compared to low irrigation. These findings suggest that with appropriate irrigation and nitrogen application, potatoes can be produced with acceptable yields while conserving water and minimizing nitrogen use. This research emphasizes the importance of optimizing inputs to improve water use efficiency and yield productivity while reducing water. As a result, obtaining useful information on crop management for farmers to make informed decisions may be possible by achieving optimal irrigation and nitrogen levels.