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Title: NITROGEN MANAGEMENT FOR RANGER RUSSET AND UMATILLA RUSSET IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN

Author
item ALVA, ASHOK

Submitted to: Potato Progress
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/5/2005
Publication Date: 4/5/2005
Citation: Alva, A.K. 2005. Nitrogen management for Ranger Russet and Umatilla Russet in the Columbia Basin. Potato Progress. Volume V(5):1-5.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Balanced application of pre-plant and in-season N is important for production of high yields of good processed quality potatoes. Nitrogen management evaluations in the past were mostly conducted on 'Russet Burbank' cultivar. Information on optimal N management is limited for some of the recent cultivars, which are increasing in acreage in the Pacific Northwest. Here I summarize results of two years (2001 and 2002) field experiment data using either 50, 100, or 150 lbs/ac pre-plant N (including the soil residual N content). The total N over the entire growing period was 300 lbs/ac across all pre-plant N treatments. An additional treatment of 400 lbs/ac total N was also evaluated with 100 lbs/ac pre-plant N. Within these four main treatments, sub-treatments comprised application of in-season N fertigations at either 2, 3, or 5 frequencies in the year 2001, and 5 or 10 frequenciees in the year 2002, starting three weeks after emergence. Tuber yields of both cultivars were not significantly influenced by either different pre-plant N rates (50 to 150 lbs/ac) or total N rates (300 to 400 lbs/ac). Tuber specific gravity was also not significantly influenced by the different pre-plant N rates or total N rates. Application of most of the N by fertigation during in-season with only about 50 lbs N/ac as pre-plant appears to be the best management practice for production of high yields of good quality tubers in the Pacific Northwest. A detailed evaluation of these and other results are presented in a refereed paper that will be published in the Journal of Vegetable Crop Production (2004, in press), and a brief summary of these results was published in Potato Country Magazine (May - June 2004, p 8-11).