Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Potato and Vegetatively Propagated Vegetables Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Cairo, Egypt
2
Potato and Vegetatively Propagated Vegetables, Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Cairo, Egypt
3
Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt.
Abstract
THE PRESENT study was carried out during the two summer seasons of 2016 and 2017 to study the effect of biochar application rates (0, 1.25, 2.5 and 5 m3/feddan (fed.) = 4200 m2) on productivity and tubers quality of three potato cultivars i.e., Accent, Cara and Spunta grown under sandy soil conditions. Cara and Spunta cultivars recorded the highest values of morphological traits, leaf content of Ca, Mn and Cu, as well as tuber yield and quality. Cara cultivar recorded the maximum dry weight of different plant parts, while Spunta cv. recorded the highest values of photosynthetic pigments concentrations in the leaf tissues and the highest tuber starch content. Accent cv. recoded the lowest values of the last mentioned parameters and the lowest tuber nitrate content. Plant growth, leaf photosynthetic pigments and minerals content (N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu), yield and its components, as well as tuber quality were significantly increased with increasing biochar application rates up to 5 m3/fed. Treated the three tested potato cultivars plants with different application rates of biochar increased plant growth, leaf photosynthetic pigments, minerals content and tuber yield and its components, compared to those untreated with biochar. Adding biochar at rates of 2.5 or 5 m3/fed. to the three tested potato cultivars Considerably gave the lowest values of leaf nitrate content. Treating Cara cultivars with biochar at rate of 5 m3/fed. gave the highest values of gross and net return, as well as benefits ratio, followed by adding 5 m3/fed. to Spunta plants. Finally, adding biochar to potato plants grown in sandy soil conditions obviously improves potato plant growth, plant chemical compositions, tuber yield and its components, with good tubers quality and increasing net return of potato production and keeps the environment less polluted.
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