Nitrogen, Potassium

and Calcium in
Potatoes
Barry Bull,
Hydro Agri Specialities
September 2003

Tuber
Size

N
P
K
Ca
Mg
S
Mn
B
Zn

Tuber
Nu mber

Tuber
Quality

Skin
Finish

Storage
Quality

Role of
nutrients
in
Potatoes

Nitrogen

Nitrogen

uFor yield
umore

nitrogen
uhigher yields
Nitrogen and tuber size
ulower bulk density

Hydro funded trials

12

Nitrogen
uFor quality
u high

nitrogen

usplit potatoes
upoor cooking quality
ubrown stains in crisps
uslow skin-set

Sidedressing nitrogen
uSplit applications with one sidedress
u 2/3

N applied at seeding
u 1/3 N applied around tuber initiation

Apply N when hilling up

uMore applications
are better

Splitting Nitrogen Applications

Total N
0
60
90

120

150

Appl. Split
0
60
30+30
90
60+30
30+30+30
120
90+30
60+30+30
150
120+30
90+30+30

t/ha
39.6
47.9
52.2
55.3
58.6
61.8
56.3
61.7
61.9
61.1
59.0
66.1

Suecia 1988
CNTC

Effect of Nitrogen form & rate:

Relative Yield

Tuber yield in South Africa (cv. UTD)

1
0,95
0,9
0,85
0,8
0,75
0,7
0,65
0,6

80% NH4 / 20% NO3

50% NH4 / 50% NO3
20% NH4 / 80% NO3

Total N 120 Total N 180 Total N 240

kg/ha

kg/ha

kg/ha

Ref: O. Achilea et al., 2000

Nitrogen - source
u Ammonium nitrogen
u
u
u

Excess NH4+ is toxic and reduces yield

NH4+ Cannot be stored
NH4+ must be detoxified

u Nitrate nitrogen
u
u
u

not toxic
efficient
potatoes prefer nitrate

CN vs. AN

Potassium

Potassium
u Increases tuber
number
u Decreases tuber
bruising
u Decreases enzymatic
discolouration
during cooking
u Anti Stress Element

Field trials - results Bulgaria 1996

MT/ha

29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22

KNO3

K2SO4

KCl

% damaged tubers

Effect of K on
% damaged tubers
40
35

33,9

30

28

25

26

24,7

20

50

100

150

kg K per ha

Source: Hunnius und Bachthaler - IPI

200

250

Mc Cains - Trial UK 97
Trial: Basedresser based on KCl just before planting
Topdressing: with KNO3 217 kg/ha <-> AN

170

Number of
tubers 160
bruised
150
(SAC
damage 140
barrell)
130

No KNO3

+KNO3

Trial Mc Cains 97 - UK
Number of peels, necessary to completely remove the bruise

1100
1000
Number of
Peels

900
800
700

No KNO3

+KNO3

Potassium and Tuber Quality

z Effect of Potassium on discoloration

Mondy & Munshi 1993

Potassium as Anti stress element:

stomata regulation

H2O

CO2

1.0

0.5

2.5

50
STOMATA OPENING

Water Transpiration
g/g DM/day

Stomata

TRANSPIRATION

1.5

40
30
20
1

% K in DM
Source: Blanchet et Al., 1962

2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
CONTENT OF K (mg/g)

K effect on Low Temperature Tolerance

K applied
(lb/A)

Yield
(tons/A)

Foliage Damaged
by Frost (%)

5.9

30

50

6.7

16

100

7.1

Grewal and Singh .1980 . Plant Soil.

Calcium and heat stress

z Potato is a cool season crop

z Hot dry weather is not beneficial
z Low levels of calcium in the leaf make the
plant susceptible to foliar damage from heat
stress.
z Calcium is important for the active transport
of K for the regulation of stomatal openings.
z Low calcium levels in leaf means poor control
of the stomata even with high K levels.

Calcium & heat stress

z Biotron studies from
Wisconsin University
show that:

Plants with Ca produced 1.0

kg of tubers / plant
Plants without calcium were
heat stressed and produced
0.7 kg of tubers / plant

z A yield reduction of 30%

Calcium & crop stress

z The full study showed nitrogen during the
stress helped but Ca & N was better.

Fert applied
Yield
N only before stress
100 %
N only during stress
117 %
Ca & N during stress
167 %
Calcium nitrate relieves heat stress in potatoes

Calcium and Potato Disease

Calcium & Erwinia

uCa improves tolerance to disease
Peel Ca

0,1 %
0.2%
0.3%
0,5 %

Surface
area
decayed
90 %
50 %
20 %
nil

Calcium & Erwinia

u Increasing calcium in cortex (red) & periderm (blue)
u Deceases soft rot (yellow)
S o ft R o t

50%

% Ca

1 .2

1.0

40%

0 .8

30%

0 .6

20%

0 .4

10%

0 .2
0

U n iv e rs ity o f W I

* B a c te ria l

% W t. L o s s F ro m S o ft R o t

C o rte x (x 1 0 -1 )
P e rid e rm

Calcium & Internal Rust Spot

u Ca improves tolerance to disease

Ca
nil
84
252

IRS
60 %
37 %
17 %

Peel Ca
0,11 %
0,13 %
0,15 %

Calcium & Internal Brown Spot (IBS)

z Ca in the inner part of tubers:
Slight variations can make the difference
% of IBS
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0,0050 0,0070 0,0090 0,0110 0,0130 0,0150
Ca in tuber flesh (% of DM)
Tuber flesh, Site 1

Tuber flesh, site 2

Ca in tubers & Internal Brown Spot (IBS)

% of IBS
60
50
40
30
20
Pulp
10
0
0.0050
% of IBS

0.0070

Tuber flesh, Site 1

Tuber flesh, site 2
Tuber flesh
Linear (Tuber flesh)

R2 = 0.5701

0.0090

0.0110

0.0130

0.0150

Ca (% of DM)

Tuber skin, Site 1

Tuber skin, site 2
Linear (Tuber skin)

% of IBS
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0.035

R2 = 0.1851

0.055

0.075
Ca (% of DM)

0.095

Skin

0.115

Calcium and Potato Skin Finish

Calcium Skin finish

Calcium and skin finish

uTubers need at least 0.15% Ca in peel
u 0.2%

is better for disease tolerance.

Ca & tuber storage

z Ca in the outer skin
Confers resistance against pressure
Calcium
(% DM)

0,0700
0,0650
0,0600
0,0550
0,0500

1 year trial, 2001

Germany

0,0450
0,0400
4100

4200

4300

4400

4500

4600

Resistance against pressure (g)

4700

Cooperation
Hydro Agri /
Uni. Goettingen / Bahlsen

Ca & tuber bruising

z All varieties increased in calcium
z All varieties had less bruising

Tuber Calcium levels (ppm)

350
300
250
200

z Ca @ 165 kg/ha
z Combination of CN & CaCl

Amm Nit

150

CN.CaCl

100
50
0

Atlantic

Snowden Burbank

Superior

Norland

Incidence of Bruising (%)

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Amm Nit
CN.CaCl

Atlantic

Snowden Burbank

Superior

Norland

Karlsson & Palta

Uni. Of Wisconsin
2001

Does it work?
u Example : In Australia - average peel analysis.
u
u

Ca ranged from 0.07 to 0.11%

Desired level at least 0.15%

u CN rates used
u
u
u
u
u

125 kg/ha solid when tubers 25mm

25 kg/ha/week fertigated for 6 weeks
Total 275 kg/ha CN
Farmer increased his Ca levels to 0.15%
Skin blemishes decreased from 16% to 8%

u Cost / Benefit
u
u

Cost Aus $192.5/ha

Benefit Aus $1088/ha

Calcium and Potato Yield

The importance of calcium in potato

nutrition is demonstated in an
experiment where seed potatoes were
grown with and without calcium.
Crops grown with these seed pieces
showed substanial differences.

Calcium nitrate improves subsequent yield

of seed potatoes.:
+ Calcium

- Calcium

Atlantic

73

47

Norland

62

54

Superior

70

71

+ Ca = Calcium nitrate
- Ca = Ammonium nitrate

Minituber production using hydroponics

Calcium nitrate removed

Tuber skins cracked and peeled
Internal breakdown.

Calcium uptake in tubers

Most Calcium absorption occurs from tuber

initation and throughout tuber bulking
C a lc iu m
A p p lic a t
io n

B u lk in g

Planting
Stolon
Grow th

Tuber
Initiation

Suberization

Vine
Kill

Harvest

Calcium uptake is through stolon and tubers

Ca % DM
Ca applied ppm
Stolon/tuber Main root Peel Tissue
100
100
0,09
100
3000
0,09
3000
100
0,27
Field grown
0,08

Main Roots
u (dyed water travels up to stem not into stolons and
tuber)

Stolon - tuber connection

Stolons pick up dyed water

dyed water travels into tuber

Moving Ca into potatoes

Foliar Ca
remains in the leaf

Stolon and
tuber roots
take in Ca for the
tubers

Soil Ca moves
upwards into the
leaves

Tuber initiation

Varies with variety - digging is the best way to see

Applying CN
Dry apply and incorporate

Through watering system

Both ways are effective in moving Ca over the tubers

Apply in time for rapid cell division.

Calcium Analysis

Tissue analysis:

Calcium levels in the leaf at start of

flowering should be between 1 & 2 %
z If below these levels yield will be
lower.
z Leaf analysis is not a good indicator of
tuber Ca levels.

Tuber analysis:
Tubers need higher levels of Calcium.
z Calcium levels are 3 to 5 times higher in
peel than whole tuber.
z 0.15% Ca in peel will give better skin
finish
z 0.2% Ca in peel gives good disease
tolerance

Calcium in potatoes improves:

z Tolerance to heat and cold stress
z Tolerance to diseases

Less internal tuber breakdown

Better skin finish

z Yield:

where soil Ca levels low

where heat or cold stress results from low
Ca levels

Calcium is vital to potatoes

Tuber
Size

N
P
K
Ca
Mg
S
Mn
B
Zn

Tuber
Nu mber

Tuber
Quality

Skin
Finish

Storage
Quality

Role of
nutrients
in
Potatoes

Is it worth the effort?

z Australian example sandy soil
z Increased in program

Nitrates
Calcium
Magnesium

z Yield: no difference
z Quality - Packout

major improvement

z Cost: extra $A 290.00

z Return: extra $A 3995.45

Nutrition is vital to potatoes