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

Results summary

Table 83. Spring 2003 soil tests and fall disease ratings

Table 84. Fall 2003 potato yield and quality


          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 2002, 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 2002. 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 2003 following the materials and methods below.


MATERIALS AND METHODS


Soil (2002 values):

Maddock sandy loam, Hecla sandy loam and Embden sandy loam; pH=7.1; 2.6% organic matter; soil-P and soil-K were very high; soil-S was low.

Previous crop:

2002 - see Table 82; 2001 - field corn; 2000 - edible bean, herbs, lettuce, pumpkin and soybean.

Seedbed preparation:

All plots disked on April 24. On April 30 multiweeded (field cultivated) all plots except field corn plots (which were disked) to incorporate fertilizer.

Planting:

‘Russet Burbank’ potato seed pieces were planted 1 ft apart in rows 3 ft wide on May 1.

Plots:

We used a split-plot design with four replications. Main plots (for crops) were 20 by 80 ft. Each main plot was divided into two subplots, 20 by 40 ft. One subplot was fall tilled and was planted to a cover crop. The other subplot was not fall tilled and did not have a cover crop.

Fertilizer:

On April 9, broadcast 11 lbs N/acre and 52 lbs P205 as 11-52-0, 30 lbs K2O as 0-0-60 and 18 lbs N/acre and 20 lbs S/acre as 21-0-0-24. Sprayed 32-0-0 on April 30 to bring soil test N + applied N to 57 lbs/acre. Side dressed 70 lb N/acre as urea on May 28. Applied 20 lbs N/acre as 28-0-0 on June 27 and July 10.

Irrigation:

Sprinkler and surface drip irrigation as needed.

Pest control:

Weeds were controlled by: dragging off on May 19; hilling on June 2; Dual II + Prowl (1.5 pt + 1.5 pt/acre on June 2); Poast + Dash (1.5 pt + 1 pt/acre on June 9); Matrix + NIS(1 oz/acre + 2 pt/100 gal on June 18); rototilling between plots, and hand weeding. Admire (1.3 oz/1000 ft applied at planting) and Asana (8 oz/acre on July 17, July 24, August 5, and August 22) controlled Colorado Potato Beetle. Diseases were controlled by: Manzate (2 lbs/acre on July 17 and 1.5 lbs/acre on August 22); Ridomil MZ72 (2.5 lb/acre on July 24 and August 12); and Rovral (2 pt/acre on August 5).

Harvest:

Harvest area was an 8 foot section from the center two rows. Harvested October 17 to October 22.


RESULTS


          Ten crops (cabbage, carrot, field corn, sweetcorn, edible bean, onion, potato, soybean, and wheat) were planted in 2002 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 sweetcorn, 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 2003.

          Spring soil tests ranged from 20 lbs N/acre after field corn to 56 lbs N/acre after onion (Table 83). 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 84), although there was a trend for the yield to be lower when potato was the previous crop. Disease on potato vines was higher when the previous crop was potato. Disease was slightly lower when a cover crop was used.


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Table 83. Spring 2003 soil tests and fall disease ratings in the Oakes Irrigation Research Site 2003 effect of crops previous to potato study.

Treatment

 (2002)

Soil

organic matter

Soil

pH

Soil Nitrogen

Disease

rating

0 to 6"

6 to 24"

Total

 

%

 

----------------- lbs/acre ----------------

0 to 101

Previous crop (averaged over cover crop)

cabbage

2.5

6.7

18.0 ab

14.6 c

32.6 b

3.1 a

carrot

2.7

6.8

11.6 de

13.1 c

24.8 bc

3.0 a

field corn

2.9

6.9

8.4 e

11.3 c

19.6 c

3.0 a

sweetcorn

2.5

7.0

17.0 abc

16.9 c

33.9 b

3.6 ab

edible bean

2.6

7.0

17.8 ab

16.5 c

34.3 b

4.0 ab

onion

2.5

6.9

18.6 a

38.5 a

56.4 a

4.5 b

potato

2.7

6.8

13.4 bcd

13.9 c

27.3 bc

6.0 c

soybean

2.7

6.9

12.6 cde

18.0 c

30.6 bc

3.3 a

sugar beet

2.5

6.9

11.9 de

14.3 c

26.1 bc

4.5 b

wheat

2.5

6.9

19.8 a

27.4 b

47.1 a

3.8 ab

 

Probability

0.33

0.08

0.0006

<.0001

<.0001

<.0001

 

Cover Crop (averaged over previous crop)

No

2.6

6.9

17.9

21.0

38.9

4.2

Yes

2.6

6.9

11.9

15.9

27.6

3.6

 

Probability

0.09

0.49

<.0001

0.002

<.0001

0.01

 

Interaction Probability

0.12

0.33

0.02

0.43

0.11

0.055

C.V. (%)

9

2

30

37

29

23

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. No letters in column mean no differences between values in that column.


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Table 84. Fall 2003 potato yield and quality in the Oakes Irrigation Research Site 2003 crops previous to potato study.

Treatment

 (2002)

US #1

yield

Total

yield

Tuber

size

Hollow

heart

Specific

gravity

 

------- cwt/acre ------

oz/tuber

%

g/cm3

Previous crop

cabbage

349

412

7.5

68

1.076 bc1

carrot

385

452

8.0

60

1.080 ab

field corn

364

430

7.7

63

1.080 ab

sweetcorn

340

405

7.4

53

1.082 a

edible bean

365

441

8.0

63

1.073 c

onion

352

420

7.6

53

1.077 abc

potato

278

351

7.1

63

1.074 c

soybean

381

447

7.7

68

1.077 abc

sugar beet

348

411

7.4

58

1.082 a

wheat

371

452

7.6

58

1.077 abc

 

Probability

0.07

0.055

0.45

0.8

0.04

 

Cover Crop

 

 

 

 

 

No

357

427

7.6

60

1.078

Yes

350

417

7.6

61

1.077

 

Probability

0.51

0.38

0.77

0.93

0.48

 

Interaction Prob.

0.48

0.49

0.46

0.96

0.06

C.V. (%)

14

11

8

39

0.5

1Values in this column and section followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 0.05 level.


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