Oakes Irrigation Research Site
Carrington Research Extension Center * North Dakota State University
P.O. Box 531, Oakes, ND 58474-0531, Voice: (701) 742-2189, FAX: (701) 742-2700, email: rgreenla@ndsuext.nodak.edu

EFFECTS OF PREVIOUS CROPS ON POTATO

Richard Greenland

Materials and methods

Results summary

Table 55. Previous crop management treatments

Table 56. 2002 spring soil N tests and fall disease ratings

Table 57. 2002 spring soil organic matter and pH, and fall potato yield and quality

INTRODUCTION

          To reduce disease problems and maintain potato quality, potato should be planted in a field only once every three or four years. The crops grown the other two or three years can affect the yield and quality of potatoes and the economic viability of the farming system. Presently, farmers earn money the year they plant potato (or rent their land for potato production), then have two or three lean years until they can plant potato again. This tempts many to shorten the rotation interval, resulting in increased possibility of crop failure, or yield and quality reduction when they do plant potato. Producers are requesting information concerning rotations involving potato. One alternative is to grow vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, onion, or sweetcorn in rotation with potato. These are high value crops that require irrigation and could increase farmer income substantially in years when potato is not grown. However, little information is available on the effects of vegetable crops planted in rotation with potato. Research indicates that some crops in the brassica family (of which cabbage is a member) reduce disease in potato planted the following year. Carrots may increase deleterious nematode numbers in some areas but may not be a problem in North Dakota. Standard rotations involving potato need to be developed. Given 10 crops with three or four year rotations, there are almost a thousand different rotations possible that include potato. By determining which crops potato does well or poorly after, the number of possibilities can be reduced. This study compares vegetable and other crops (with and without a cover crop) planted the year before potato and their effects on potato planted the subsequent year.

          In 2001, ten crops (cabbage, carrot, field corn, sweetcorn, edible bean, onion, potato, soybean, sugarbeet, wheat) were planted on the study area. These crops were managed according to standard production practices for each crop and were harvested in late summer or fall of 2001. A cover crop was planted on half of each plot, either during crop growth (for corn) or after harvest (all other crops). Potato was planted in the spring of 2002 following the materials and methods below.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

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RESULTS

          Ten crops (cabbage, carrot, field corn, sweetcorn, edible bean, onion, potato, soybean, and wheat) were planted in 2001 at the Oakes Irrigation Research Site. All of these previous crops were grown successfully and managed according to standard production practices for each crop. Cover crops planted after wheat and cabbage harvest, and at last cultivation in field and sweet corn, were well established before winter. The rye planted after harvest of carrot, edible bean, onion, potato, sugar beet, and soybean grew well but did not have time to establish much cover before winter. Disease ratings were taken in the fall of 2002.

          Spring soil tests ranged from 24 lbs N/acre after wheat to 57 lbs N/acre after potato (Table 56). Soil N was lower in the no-fall-till/cover crop treatment than in the fall tillage treatment.

          Potato yields and quality were not significantly affected by the previous crop or the tillage/cover crop treatments (Table 57). Disease on potato vines was higher when the previous crop was potato or sugar beet. The cover crop increased potato disease in combination with some previous crops (cabbage, potato, and sugar beet) and decreased potato disease with other previous crops (carrot and corn) (Table 56).

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Table 55. Previous crop management treatments.

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Table 56. 2002 spring soil N tests and fall disease ratings in the Oakes Irrigation Research Site 2002 crops previous to potato study.

¹Ratings are 0 = no disease to 10 = complete death of plant due to disease.

²Values in the same column and section followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 0.05

  level.

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Table 57. 2002 spring soil organic matter and pH, and fall potato yield and quality in the Oakes Irrigation Research Site 2002 crops previous to potato study.

¹Organic matter.

Note: For these measurements, there were no previous crop by cover crop interactions.

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