1ppsc2025-04-07 – PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND SOIL CHEMISTRY (PPSC)

ABSTRACT

INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT FOR POTATO PRODUCTIVITY AND SOIL HEALTH

Journal: Plant Physiology and Soil Chemistry

M. Yasmin, M.S Rahman

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

DOI: 10.26480/ppsc.01.2025.04.07

Potatoes are rich in nutrition and a great economic crop, and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) is the best method for enhancing tuber yield and soil health; to investigate its effects on higher potato output and better soil health, an experiment was conducted at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Jamalpur, Bangladesh, in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024, testing six treatments, including different composts (compost, kitchen waste compost, vermicompost, and trichocompost) and STB dose at varying rates, with results showing that the combined use of chemical fertilizers and organic manure significantly impacted potato yield, where in 2022–23, the highest tuber yield (35.94 t ha-1) was found in the T5 treatment (80% STB + vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1), and in 2023–24, the highest tuber yield (33.50 t ha-1) was also found in the same treatment compared to 100% STB (29.34 t ha-1), indicating that plants could not receive adequate nutrients from chemical fertilizer alone, and the maximum benefit-cost ratio and maximum carbon accumulation were also found in the vermicompost-treated treatment, while the control treatment yielded the lowest tubers (19.09 t ha-1 and 20.19 t ha-1, respectively), suggesting that 80% STB and vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1 may be recommended for higher tuber yield and maintaining soil fertility.

1. INTRODUCTION

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), a member of the Solanaceae family, is known as the “poor man’s friend” because it meets every need for a nutritious diet and has the potential to significantly reduce the world’s food problem. Potatoes are the most popular vegetable globally due to their high nutritional value (carbohydrate, protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc.), ease of digestion, and ability to be produced in large quantities (Biswas and Dutta, 2019). The majority of the nutrients utilized in potato crops come from inorganic fertilizers, but according to Sahota and Sharma (2005), a high base dose of urea or another direct nitrogenous fertilizer can negatively impact potato emergence. Numerous beneficial soil microorganisms suffer as a result of these unbalanced conditions (Chandini et al., 2019). Therefore, for a crop as extensive and responsive as potatoes, a thorough nutrition management scheme is necessary. Integrated nutrient management (INM), which combines both organic and inorganic nutrient sources, is a more efficient way to nourish the crop (Narayan et al., 2013). Long-term agricultural production depends on improved soil health, which necessitates the integrated use of all plant nutrient sources (chemical fertilizer, organic manures, and biofertilizers) to raise crop output (Shubha et al., 2018). To achieve a good economic return with excellent soil health, on the other hand, a careful combination of organic and inorganic fertilizer sources may be helpful (Hensh et al., 2020).

2. MATERIAL AND METHODS

The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. The unit plot size was 4m x 3m, and the variety used was BARI Alu-25. The treatments were as follows: T1 = Control, T2 = 100% Soil Test Based (STB) Fertilizer dose, T3 = 80% STB + Compost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T4 = 80% STB + Kitchen Waste Compost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T5 = 80% STB + Vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1, and T6 = 80% STB + Trichocompost @ 2.5 t ha-1. The nutrient status of the initial soil and the chemical composition of different composts are presented in Table 1 and Table 2.

During the last stage of land preparation, several composts were used as an Integrated Plant Nutrient System (IPNS) foundation in combination with chemical fertilizers. The seeds were sown at a spacing of 60 cm x 25 cm. Throughout the growing season, the necessary intercultural activities were carried out to ensure the proper growth and development of the crop. At full maturity, the harvest was completed, and yield and yield-contributing data were collected and analyzed. Means separation was done using least significant differences (LSD) at the 5% probability level.

Carbon stock, carbon accumulation, and soil organic matter (SOM) percentage were calculated using the following formulas

Carbon stock (t ha-1) = Carbon concentration (%) x Bulk density (g cm-3) x Depth (cm)

Carbon accumulation (t ha-1) = Final carbon stock (t ha-1) – Initial carbon stock (t ha-1)

Soil Organic Matter Percentage (SOM %) = Soil Organic Carbon Percentage (SOC %) x 1.74

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The study aimed to determine the impact of varying irrigation intervals on the growth, productivity, and quality of lemon crops. In our nation, different irrigation intervals are used just for the production of agricultural products. In this endeavour, therefore, various irrigation intervals are used for yielding lemons in an equitable way.

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3.1 Effect of integrated nutrient management on yield and economics of potato

The better performance of potato yield was observed in integrated treatment compared to sole chemical treatment (Table 3). In 2022-23, the highest tuber yield of 35.94 t ha-1 was obtained in the treatment T5 (80% STB + vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1). Treatment T6 (80% STB + trichocompost @ 2.5 t ha-1) gave the second highest tuber yield (33.79 t ha-1) which was statistically identical to T4 (80% STB + kitchen waste compost @ 2.5 t ha-1). In 2023-24, the maximum tuber production of 33.50 t ha-1 and maximum BCR 3.45 were also observed in vermicompost treated treatment and it makes 14.17 % yield increase over STB dose. This result matched the findings of an earlier study, which found that the highest tuber yield of 336 q ha-1 was obtained when 75% NPK was applied using chemical fertilizers in conjunction with 5 t ha-1 vermicompost (Rajiv, 2014). Other studies, including also found the same thing. The control treatment had the lowest tuber yield (20.19 t ha-1) (Meena et al., 2013; Kumar et al., 2011).

Means in a column followed by same letter(s) do not differ significantly at 5% level by LSD. Note: T1 = Control, T2 = 100% STB, T3 = 80% STB + Compost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T4 = 80% STB + Kitchen Waste Compost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T5 = 80% STB + Vermicmpost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T6 = 80% STB + Trichocompost @ 2.5 t ha-1
Input: Urea=22 Tk kg-1, TSP= 22 Tk kg-1, MoP = 15 Tk kg-1, Gypsum = 12 Tk kg-1, Zinc sulphate = 200 Tk kg-1 Boric acid = 250 Tk kg-1, Compost =10 Tk kg-1, Kitchen waste compost =15 Tk kg-1, Vermicompost=15 Tk kg-1, Trichocompost=15 Tk kg-1
Output: Price range of potato is 15 to 25 Tk kg-1, average price is 20 Tk kg-1

3.2 Soil carbon accumulation in potato crop under integrated nutrient management

Following the addition of organic manure, the bulk density of the soil decreased (Table 4). While the pH of the soil dropped in the control and inorganic fertilizer treatments, it rose in the combined treatment. Organic carbon in the soil ranges from 0.85% to 0.73%. Organic carbon levels were lowest (0.73%) in the control treatment and highest (0.85%) in the vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1 + inorganic fertilizer treatment. However, vermicompost containing treatments exhibited higher amounts of total N and soil organic matter. These results agreed with who reported that maximum nutrient availability due to integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizers increased nutrient uptake by the plant which in turn lead to dry matter production (Ogundare et al., 2015). After two years, the post harvest carbon stock declined in both the control treatment and the solo chemical treatment compared to the initial stock. On the other hand, integrated treatment led to an increase in post harvest carbon stock. Compared to the other treatments, the vermicompost treated treatment collected 1.25 t ha-1 more carbon. When compared to the use of chemical fertilizers alone, the results showed that the use of both chemical fertilizers and organic manure treatments accumulated the most carbon.

Temperature, fertilization methods and the environment all affect carbon sequestration (West and Six, 2007).

Note: T1 = Control, T2 = 100% STB, T3 = 80% STB + Compost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T4 = 80% STB + Kitchen Waste Compost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T5 = 80% STB + Vermicmpost @ 2.5 t ha-1, T6 = 80% STB + Trichocompost@ 2.5 t ha-1

3.3 Cost and return analysis

Table 5 showed the cost and return analysis of potato as influenced by integrated application of different compost and chemical fertilizer. The highest gross return (Tk 670000 ha-1), gross margin (Tk 467000 ha-1) and MBCR (3.22) were recorded from T5 (80% STB + vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1) treatment. Among the treatment, the lowest gross return (Tk 403800 ha-1) and gross margin (Tk 263800 ha-1) were recorded from control treatment.

Note: Input: Urea=22 Tk kg-1, TSP= 22 Tk kg-1, MoP = 15 Tk kg-1, Gypsum = 12 Tk kg-1, Zinc sulphate = 200 Tk kg-1 Boric acid = 250 Tk kg-1, Compost =10 Tk kg-1, Kitchen waste compost =15 Tk kg-1, Vermicompost=15 Tk kg-1, Trichocompost=15 Tk kg-1
Output: Average price of Potato is 20 Tk kg-1

4. CONCLUSIONS
The findings showed that when compared to conventional compost, treatments treated with vermicompost perform better. From economic point of view, this treatment was suitable and economically viable. So, it can be concluded that, treatment package consists of 80% STB with vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1 may therefore be recommended as a better option for enhancing potato yield and promoting soil carbon buildup.

REFERENCES
Biswas, S., and Dutta, D., 2019. Effect of integrated nutrient management on nutrient uptake, yield and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). International Journal of Chemical Studies, 8 (1), Pp., 432-446.

Chandini, Kumar, R., Kumar, R., and Prokash, O.M., 2019. The Impact of chemical fertilizers on our environment and ecosystem. In: Research Trends in Environmental Sciences, Edition 2nd & Chapter, 5, Pp., 69-86.

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Kumar, M., Baishya, L.K., Ghosh, D.C., Gupta, V.K., 2011. Yield and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers as influenced by nutrient sources under rainfed condition of Meghalaya. Indian Journal of Agronomy, 56, Pp. 260-266.

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Ogundare, S.K., Babalola, T.S., Hinmikaiye, A.S., and Oloniruha, J.A., 2015. Growth and Fruit Yield of Tomato as Influenced by Combined Use of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer in Kabba, Nigeria. European J. Agric. Forestry Res., 3 (3), Pp. 48-56.

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