The Effects of Root Aeration and Different Soil Conditioners on the Nutritional Values, Yield, and Water Productivity of Potato in Clay Loam Soil

Mohamed E. Abuarab,Ahmed M. Hassan,Noha H. Abdelkader,Mohamed B. I. El-Sawy,Emad A. Abdeldaym,Mohamed M. El-Mogy

doi:10.3390/agronomy9080418

Mohamed E. Abuarab, Ahmed M. Hassan + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9080418

Copy DOI

Abstract

A field study was conducted in 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 to evaluate the effects of air injection into an irrigation stream during the subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) process on the nutritional values and productivity of potato grown in clay loam soil. Two irrigation treatments (non-aerated and aerated) and six fertilizer applications (chicken, cow, rabbit, compost, mineral, and chicken + biochar) were compared. In the first growing season, the maximum yield occurred under aerated treatment with cow fertilizer (36.25 ton ha−1), while the minimum yield occurred under non-aerated treatment with chicken fertilizer (24.00 ton ha−1). On the other hand, the maximum and minimum yields in the second growing season were 35.00 and 24.74 ton ha−1 under aerated and non-aerated treatments with cow fertilizer, respectively. Maximum water productivity was achieved under aerated treatment with cow fertilizer (10.04 and 9.13 kg m−3 for the first and second growing seasons, respectively), while minimum water productivity was achieved under the non-aerated treatment with chicken + biochar fertilizer (5.91 and 5.26 kg m−3 for the first and second growing seasons, respectively). Fertilization using aerated treatment yielded the best results and the highest coupling after air injection, compared with the traditional methods of adding soil fertilizer without aeration. The plant growth parameters significantly increased following aeration relative to non-aerated treatments for all fertilizer applications in both growing seasons. Air injection into the soil for potatoes, unsurprisingly, not only benefitted the crop by increasing the soil–air exchange rate but also promoted water infiltration rates and nutrient absorption and reduced drainage water, thus increasing water productivity and reducing the overall irrigation requirements.

Highlights

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world’s fourth most prevalent agricultural crop after rice, wheat, and maize [1]
Agricultural farming systems that rely on the continual use of heavy equipment lead to soil compaction and poor ventilation, which adversely affects the growth of crops [3]
The decrement occurred because the use of organic manures improved soil porosity, which allowed the movement of water, increasing the soil moisture content

Summary

Introduction

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world’s fourth most prevalent agricultural crop after rice, wheat, and maize [1]. Agricultural farming systems that rely on the continual use of heavy equipment lead to soil compaction and poor ventilation, which adversely affects the growth of crops [3]. Air injection at the root zone to increase oxygen availability, and thereby improve soil ventilation, is critical for increasing plant performance in vertisols [4]. Agronomy 2019, 9, 418 drip irrigation (SDI) system is an easy and effective way to increase the oxygen ratio in the root zone and reverse the negative effects of hypoxia on plant growth [5,6]. A lack of soil aeration is one of the most important reasons behind the inability of a plant to absorb the important elements of fertilizers, such as N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, and results in low productivity [9]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion