Nitrogen management in potato for maximum tuber yield, quality and environmental conservation

Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken on “Nitrogen
management in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)” and to
identify a carefully controlled nitrogen application rate and
better synchronization between applied nitrogen and potato
nitrogen uptake at Vegetable Research Centre of G.B. Pant
University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar,
Uttarakhand during rabi season of 2012-13 and 2013-14.
The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design
consisting of nine treatments replicated thrice. The pooled
data of two years investigation revealed that the performance
of potato crop was significantly influenced by different split
nitrogen doses. Among all treatments, treatment T4 (50%
basal N + 25% top dressing at 25 DAP + one foliar spray@
2% urea at 40 DAP) was found best with respect to overall
plant growth, yield (34.98 t/ha), protein content (7.56 %)
and benefit: cost ratio (1.81) . The treatment T4 (50% basal N
+ 25% top dressing at 25 DAP + one foliar spray@ 2% urea
at 40 DAP) not only give 18.09 % and 43.48 % more yield
over the treatment T1 (RDF:50% basal N + 50% top dressing
at 25 DAP) and T9 (No application of nitrogen), respectively,
but also saves 22 % nitrogen. The dry matter content of
potato was recorded maximum (19.48%) with treatment T8
and specific gravity (1.09) with treatment T9. Based on overall
performance, it could be concluded that under prevalent
climatic conditions of Uttarakhand Tarai region, 50% basal
N + 25% top dressing N at 25 DAP + one foliar spray@ 2%
urea at 40 DAP is the best in terms of higher and economic
yield of potato than RDF (50% basal N + 50% top dressing
N at 25 DAP) and also in reducing N losses to the
environment.