The Effects of Different Manurial Treatments on The Yield and Mineral Composition of Red Beet

Abstract

Red beet was grown in factorial manurial experiments at two sites: at Wellesbourne annually from 1954 to 1964 in a rotation of vegetable crops and at Efford in 1959 only.At Wellesbourne applications of FYM (20 tons per acre per crop), together with NPK fertilizers, consistently gave much higher yields than mineral fertilizers alone, but the relative effect of FYM did not increase as the experiment proceeded.In the presence of FYM, yields of red beet increased with increasing rates of application of Nitrochalk (up to 124 lb. N per acre), but applications of phosphate and potash fertilizers did not affect yields.In the absence of FYM, phosphate fertilizers did not increase yields significantly after 1959; there was an important interaction between the effects of the applications of Nitrochalk and SUlphate of potash. Each fertilizer applied alone produced small increases in yield, but when they were applied together at the highest rates used (186 lb. Nand 192 lb. K2O per acre) large increases in yield were obtained and there was some indication that an even higher rate of application would have given a further increase in yield. At Efford, nitrogenous fertilizers increased yields significantly.Applications of FYM increased the potassium and decreased the calcium and magnesium contents of red beet leaves and had only small effects on the nitrogen and phosphorus contents; in the roots, only the potassium content was altered (increased) by the FYM applications.In general, in the absenc~ of FYM only potash fertilizer applications had large, consistent and significant effects on the mineral composition of the leaves and roots. At both sites, applications of sulphate of potash increased the potassium content of the leaves and had a much smaller depressing effect on the calcium and magnesium contents of the leaves but not, in general, of the roots.The effects of the nitrogenous fertilizers on the total nitrogen content of the roots were relatively small, but could be important in relation to the processing quality of the beet.The marked differences between the responses of red beet and early potatoes to the manurial treatments are discussed in relation to the nutrient contents of the plants.