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Prediction of the fertiliser needs of sugar‐beet grown on fen peat soils
Author(s) -
Draycott A. P.,
Durrant M. J.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740220607
Subject(s) - sugar beet , soil water , sugar , agronomy , acre , sodium bicarbonate , ammonium nitrate , loss on ignition , chemistry , environmental science , biology , soil science , environmental chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry
The fertiliser requirements of sugar‐beet grown on fen soils were tested in 52 experiments from 1963 to 1969. In some fields, N.P.K and Na and, especially N and P, greatly increased yields, but the average responses obtained with the four elements were small. To help to predict where and how much fertiliser was needed for sugar‐beet, soils were grouped according to soil analysis and classified by loss on ignition. Sugar‐beet grown on soils with less than 20 μg/ml P (extracted with sodium bicarbonate) needed 1·20 cwt/acre P 2 O 5 , with 21–45 μg/ml P, 0·75 cwt/acre P 2 O 5 , and with more than 45 μg/ml P no fertiliser was required. Most soils contained high concentrations of K; with less than 100 μg/ml K (extracted with ammonium nitrate), 2·00 cwt/acre P 2 O was probably justified; with 100–250 μg/ml, 1·00 cwt/acre K 2 O was needed. Most of the responses to agricultural salt were by crops on soils with exchangeable sodium concentrations of less than 30 μg/ml Na. Loss on ignition was related to response to N fertiliser; when the loss was 14–25%, N increased yield by 6 cwt/acre sugar and 1·2 cwt/acre N fertiliser was Heeded and when the loss was 26–35%, the yield was increased by 3·5 cwt/acre and 0·6 cwt/acre N was needed. With greater losses there was little response.