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Exploratory Tests of Subsoil Treatments Inducing Deeper Rooting of Potatoes on Wooster Silt Loam 1
Author(s) -
Bushnell John
Publication year - 1941
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1941.00021962003300090007x
Subject(s) - subsoil , loam , agricultural experiment station , citation , silt , horticulture , mathematics , library science , agriculture , environmental science , computer science , history , archaeology , biology , soil science , soil water , paleontology
N silt loam and sandy loam soils in Ohio, potato roots are found 0 largely in the plowed layer, with only a few small roots extending into the subsurface soil. Similar shallow rooting was reported by Farris (3)3 in New Jersey and by Beckwith (I) in central New York. In contrast, Weaver (6) in Nebraska found roots 4 feet deep, Ten Eyck (5) reported the same in North Dakota, and the writer (2) found numerous roots at a depth of 3 0 inches in muck soil in Ohio. The conclusion to be drawn is that potatoes normally root to a depth of 3 or 4 feet unless prevented by some unfavorable condition of the soil. The aim of the work reported here was to determine what treatments would induce abundant rooting of potatoes in the subsurface layer of Wooster silt loam, and if this would be accompanied by higher yields of tubers.