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Interrelations of Moisture, Plant Population, and Fertility on the Production of Red Triumph Potatoes in Western Nebraska
Author(s) -
Howe O. W.,
Rhoades H. F.
Publication year - 1949
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1949.036159950013000c0097x
Subject(s) - agriculture , population , soil water , agricultural economics , agricultural science , geography , environmental science , agronomy , agroforestry , biology , sociology , archaeology , demography , economics , soil science
IT is well known that the yields of irrigated crops may be influenced markedly by the level of soil fertility, by the irrigation practices followed, by the plant population per unit area, and by a number of other factors. Furthermore, it appears evident that there is no single optimum for any one factor that will hold regardless of the status of the other factors. However, much of the information available on the effect of the factors of crop production has been obtained by a study of the individual factors. 'When such information has been used for recommending a practice such as the use of commercial fertilizers, it has frequently been necessary to make some estimate of the interaction of some other factors with soil fertility level even though those interactions had not been evaluated quantitatively. Werner (7) has summarized the results obtained in Nebraska on the factors affecting the production of potatoes. Results obtained on the rotation plots at the Scotts Bluff Field Station in western Nebraska emphasize the value of alfalfa in the rotation for the production of potatoes (2, 3). Field experiments have been conducted in western Nebraska to determine the value of commercial fertilizers for potato production (5, 6). It seems evident from the latter experiments that the results have been influenced by the irrigation practice followed and by the plant population as well as by the fertility level of the soil, although the interactions of those factors were not evaluated. Therefore, it seems desirable to obtain information on the interactions of moisture level, plant population, and soil fertility level on the production of irrigated potatoes in western Nebraska. Such interactions have been studied effectively with other crops in a factorial-design experiment (1, 4). An experiment was initiated at the Scotts Bluff Field Station, Mitchell, Neb., in 1946 on Tripp very fine sandy loam to study the interactions of moisture level, plant population, and fertility level upon the yield and quality of potatoes. The experiment was conducted on land that had grown potatoes in 1945 and had grown alfalfa for 3 years prior to 1945. In this initial experiment, the main objective was to obtain information regarding satisfactory moisture levels and plant populations to be used later in more comprehensive experiments. The results obtained indicated that both moisture level and plant population have a marked influence upon the yield of potatoes on Tripp very fine sandy loam. However, it was apparent that the high-moisture level used was inadequate for obtaining maximum yields.