The Effect of Soil-Climate Conditions, Farmyard Manure and Mineral Fertilizers on Potato Yield and Soil Chemical Parameters

If available to farmers, potatoes represent a crop classically fertilized with farmyard manure in the Czech Republic. At the same time, potatoes are a crop sensitive to soil-climate conditions. We evaluated the effect of cattle manure (FYM), manure and mineral nitrogen (FYM + N1, FYM + N2), manure and mineral fertilizers (FYM + N1PK, FYM + N2PK, FYM + N3PK) application and the effect of three soil-climatic conditions (Caslav-maize production area with degraded Chernozem, Ivanovice-maize production area with Chernozem, Lukavec-potatoes production area with Cambisol) over four years (2016-2019) on potatoes yield and soil chemical properties. Of all the factors, yields were most affected by location. Lukavec provided the highest average yields (37.2 t ha(-1)), followed by Ivanovice (23.5 t ha(-1)) and Caslav (15.5 t ha(-1)). The second most important factor was the climatic conditions of the year. Fertilization was the third most important parameter. FYM significantly increased yields compared to Control, but applied alone cannot cover the needs of potatoes. Similarly, the application of FYM and N increases yields, but for the highest yields, it is best to apply FYM + NPK (80 kg ha(-1) N). Co-application of FYM and mineral N fertilizers mitigates the negative impact of mineral N on soil pH.

Automated summary

Potatoes in the Czech Republic are traditionally fertilized with farmyard manure, with the highest yields observed in the Lukavec production area. Climate conditions and fertilization methods also play significant roles in potato yield. The study found that combining farmyard manure with mineral nitrogen and fertilizers resulted in the highest potato yields, with a positive impact on soil pH.