Pelletized organo-mineral fertilizer product as a

Pelletized organo-mineral fertilizer product as a nitrogen source for potato production B. J. Zebarth1, R. Chabot2, J. Coulombe3, R. R. Simard4, J. Douheret5, and N. Tremblay6. 1Potato

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Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, PO Box 20280, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, E3B 4Z7 (e-mail: [email protected]); 2Envirogain Inc., 1112 Boul. de la Rive-Sud, Bureau 220, St-Romuald, Quebec, Canada G6W 5M6; 3Consultant, 1551 Chemin Royal S., RR#1, St-Laurent-D’Orleans, Quebec, Canada G0A 3Z0; 4Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2560 Hochelaga Blvd., Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada G1V 2J3 (deceased); 5Agrior Inc., 270 Chemin Belfast, St-Patrice-de-Beaurivage, Quebec, Canada G0S 1B0; 6Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 430 Boul. Gouin, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada J3B 3E6. Received 4 November 2004, accepted 27 April 2005. Zebarth, B. J., Chabot, R., Coulombe, J., Simard, R. R., Douheret, J. and Tremblay, N. 2005. Pelletized organo-mineral fertilizer product as a nitrogen source for potato production. Can. J. Soil Sci. 85: 387–395. Replacement of mineral fertilizer with organo-mineral fertilizer products made with animal manures is one strategy for reducing the environmental impact of agricultural production. This study evaluated a pelletized organo-mineral fertilizer product with a nutrient analysis of approximately 7-4-4 produced from composted solid poultry, solid dairy and liquid hog manure as a N source for processing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production in Atlantic Canada. The availability of N in the organo-mineral fertilizer product was estimated, and tuber yield, size distribution and quality parameters and soil NO3-N content at harvest were compared at similar application rates of N as mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer. Field trials were conducted in 2000 to 2002 to compare different rates of mineral (0–200 kg N ha–1 as NH4NO3) or organo-mineral (0–3 t product ha–1) fertilizer band-applied at planting, followed by split applications of variable rates of mineral fertilizer. Apparent recovery of N from the mineral fertilizer, estimated as the slope of the regression of plant N accumulation against the rate of N applied and expressed as a percentage, was 65, 33 and 78% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Apparent recovery of total N in the organo-mineral fertilizer was 60, 26 and 57% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Fertilizer N equivalency of the total N in the organo-mineral fertilizer, estimated as the apparent recovery of organo-mineral fertilizer N divided by apparent recovery of mineral fertilizer N and expressed as a percentage, was 92, 79 and 73% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Application of equivalent rates of N as mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer at planting generally resulted in comparable values of tuber yield, size distribution and quality parameters and soil NO3-N content at tuber harvest. We recommend application of 1.5 t ha–1 of organo-mineral fertilizer at planting, with additional mineral fertilizer applied as a split application if warranted, as a suitable N source for processing potato production. Key words: Solanum tuberosum, yield, tuber size, tuber nitrate, tuber specific gravity, soil nitrate Zebarth, B. J., Chabot, R., Coulombe, J., Simard, R. R., Douheret, J. et Tremblay, N. 2005. Les agglomérés de fumier artificiel comme source d’azote pour la culture de la pomme de terre. Can. J. Soil Sci. 85: 387–395. Remplacer les engrais chimiques par du fumier artificiel fait de fumier animal serait une façon d’atténuer l’impact de l’agriculture sur l’environnement. L’étude portait sur un fumier artificiel 7-4-4 aggloméré constitué de compost de fumier de volaille, de fumier de bovins laitiers et de purin de porc et employé comme source d’azote pour la culture des pommes de terre de transformation (Solanum tuberosum L.) dans les provinces de l’Atlantique canadiennes. Les auteurs ont estimé la concentration de N disponible dans le fumier artificiel puis ont comparé le rendement en tubercules, le répartition des tubercules selon le calibre, les paramètres qualitatifs et la teneur en N-NO3 du sol à la récolte obtenus avec des applications similaires d’engrais N chimique et de fumier artificiel. Les essais sur le terrain ont eu lieu de 2000 à 2002 et ont permis de comparer diverses concentrations d’engrais chimique (0 à 200 kg de N sous forme de NH4NO3 par hectare) ou de fumier artificiel (de 0 à 3 t par hectare). Les engrais ont été appliqués en bande à la plantation. Le traitement a été renforcé par l’application fractionnée d’engrais chimique à un taux variable. En 2000, 2001 et 2002, la quantité apparente de N récupérée de l’engrais chimique (d’après la pente de la courbe de régression de l’accumulation de N par la plante par rapport à la quantité de N appliquée) s’établissait respectivement à 65, à 33 et à 78 %. La quantité apparente de N récupérée du fumier artificiel se situait respectivement à 60, à 26 et à 57 % pour les mêmes années. En 2000, 2001 et 2002, la quantité totale de N venant du fumier artificiel équivalait respectivement à 92, à 79 et à 73 % du N contenu dans l’engrais chimique (proportion de N tirée du fumier artificiel, divisée par la quantité de N récupérée de l’engrais chimique, en pourcentage). L’application d’un taux équivalent de N sous forme d’engrais chimique ou de fumier artificiel à la plantation donne généralement des valeurs comparables pour le rendement en tubercules, la répartition des tubercules selon le calibre, les paramètres qualitatifs et la teneur en NNO3 à la récolte. Les auteurs préconisent l’application de 1,5 t de fumier artificiel par hectare à la plantation et des applications fractionnées subséquentes d’engrais chimique, si besoin est, comme source de N pour la production de pommes de terre de transformation. Mots clés: Solanum tuberosum, rendement, calibre des tubercules, concentration de nitrate dans les tubercules, densité des tubercules, nitrates du sol

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There is increasing concern over nitrate contamination of groundwater from agricultural production (Power and Schepers 1989). The risk of such contamination is frequently associated with regions of intensive animal production, where N contained in manure exceeds that which can be utilized in an environmentally acceptable manner for field crop production (Zebarth et al. 1999). One solution is to transport manure N to regions of low animal density, and to use manure N to replace N currently applied to crops as mineral fertilizers. Transport of manure N to regions of low animal density is often not economical because of low manure N concentrations, high manure water contents and the need to transport the manure over significant distances (Eghball and Power 1994). Poultry manure frequently has high dry matter and nutrient contents (Sims and Wolf 1994), making transport more economically feasible. Poultry manure may be pelletized to further reduce manure volume, thereby reducing transportation costs and making the manure easier to handle. There are, however, limitations to the replacement of mineral fertilizer N with manure N. The concentration and availability of N in manure is variable (Sims and Wolf 1994). It is also frequently difficult to apply manure uniformly at controlled rates (Laguë et al. 1994), and to use existing fertilizer application equipment for organic nutrient sources. Production of pelletized organo-mineral fertilizer products from excess manure is one possible solution to these limitations. Addition of mineral fertilizer nutrients to the manure during production of organo-mineral fertilizer products increases nutrient concentrations, requiring lower field application rates. Such additions also improve the uniformity in the concentrations and availability of nutrients within the finished product. Use of organic or organo-mineral nutrient sources has the added advantage of supplying a range of macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients and organic matter. Application of manures improves soil physical and chemical properties (Eghball and Power 1994). In Atlantic Canada, potato crops receive relatively high rates of mineral fertilizer (Zebarth et al. 2003a) and are frequently grown on shallow soils low in soil organic matter (Wang et al. 1984; Milburn et al. 1989). Consequently, potato is suitable to receive such organo-mineral fertilizer products. Appropriate N management is important for optimizing tuber yield and quality in potato production (Zebarth et al. 2004b). Adequate fertilizer N rates are necessary to obtain the tuber yield and size distribution required for the processing industry. However, excessive N application reduces tuber quality, particularly tuber specific gravity, and can increase the risk of environmental losses of N. Growers who use organic nutrient sources frequently either do not credit the nutrients in the organic source, or credit the nutrients very conservatively, to avoid the risk of yield loss, thereby increasing the risk of excessive nutrient application. This is consistent with reports of high nitrate leaching from manured potato fields (Gasser et al. 2002). The purposes of this study were to (1) estimate the availability of N in the organo-mineral fertilizer product produced by Agrior Inc., and (2) to compare tuber yield, size

distribution and quality parameters and soil NO3-N content at harvest for treatments receiving comparable rates of N as mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer. The organo-mineral fertilizer is produced from solid poultry, solid dairy and liquid hog manure that has undergone a rapid compost process. The compost is dried at moderate temperatures, amended with mineral fertilizer to achieve a consistent nutrient analysis and pelletized. The mineral fertilizers include urea, diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate and potassium chloride. This organo-mineral fertilizer product was evaluated for use at planting, with additional mineral N fertilizer applied at first cultivation as required, and additional mineral P and K fertilizer applied at planting to meet crop nutrient requirements. MATERIALS AND METHODS Trials were conducted at the Potato Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fredericton, NB, from 2000 to 2002. Soils at the experimental site belong to the Research Station soil association (coarse loamy morainal ablational till over coarse loamy morainal lodgement till) and are classified as Gleyed Humo-Ferric Podzols (Rees and Fahmy 1984). Soil properties for the 0- to 15-cm depth were: P soil test (Mehlich 3) 152, 137, and 140 mg kg–1; K soil test (Mehlich 3) 146, 164, and 178 mg kg–1; soil pH (1:1 water) 6.1, 6.7 and 6.1; soil organic C concentration (combustion) 21.7, 17.3 and 21.8 mg kg–1; sand content 510, 490 and 380 mg kg–1; silt content 360, 350 and 460 mg kg–1; and clay content (hydrometer) 130, 160 and 160 mg kg–1 for 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. The preceding crop was unfertilized wheat in each year. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1, which included the 2000 trial, was a preliminary experiment where treatments were chosen without prior knowledge of the availability of N in the organo-mineral fertilizer product. Experiment 2, which included the 2001 and 2002 trials, used treatments chosen based on the results of exp. 1. A randomized complete block design with four replicates was used in each trial with 15 N fertility treatments in 2000, and 11 N fertility treatments in 2001 and 2002. Experimental plots were four rows (3.6 m) × 10 m in size. Treatments in exp. 1 included a control, which received no N application, 200 kg N ha-1 as mineral fertilizer applied at planting to represent conventional processing potato N management in New Brunswick, and different rates of split N application, where 80 kg N ha-1 as mineral fertilizer or 1.0 or 2.0 t ha-1 of organo-mineral fertilizer on a fresh weight basis were applied at planting (Table 1). For treatments receiving organo-mineral fertilizer, mineral fertilizer P and K rates were chosen assuming the organo-mineral fertilizer nutrient analysis was 7-4-4, and that the equivalent of approximately 50% of the Mehlich 3 extractable P, and 100% of the Mehlich 3 extractable K, were plant available in the year of application. Mineral fertilizer sources were 34-0-0 (NH4NO3) for N, 0-46-0 for P, and 0-0-60 for K. In exp. 2, treatments included a control, which received no N application, 200 kg N ha-1 as mineral fertilizer applied at planting to represent conventional N management, different rates of mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer applied at

ZEBARTH ET AL. — NITROGEN FROM ORGANO-MINERAL FERTILIZER Table 1. Treatments for exp. 1 in 2000 N at planting

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Treatment 0:0 200:0 80:0 80:40 80:80 80:120 2A:0 2A:40 2A:80 2A:120 1A:0 1A:40 1A:80 1A:120 1A:160

0 200 80 80 80 80 2 t ha–1 Ay 2 t ha–11 A 2 t ha–1 A 2 t ha–1 A 1 t ha–1 A 1 t ha–1 A 1 t ha–1 A 1 t ha–1 A 1 t ha–1 A

Table 2. Treatments for exp. 2 in 2001 and 2002

N at first P2O5 at cultivation plantingz (kg ha–1) 0 0 0 40 80 120 0 40 80 120 0 40 80 120 160

389

150 150 150 150 150 150 110 110 110 110 130 130 130 130 130

K2O at plantingz

N at planting Treatment

150 150 150 150 150 150 70 70 70 70 110 110 110 110 110

zMineral P and K fertilizer rates were adjusted assuming the organo-mineral fertilizer nutrient analysis was 7-4-4, and that the equivalent of approximately 50% of the Mehlich 3 extractable P, and 100% of the Mehlich 3 extractable K, were plant available in the year of application. yOrgano-mineral fertilizer formulation C19744.

planting, and different rates of split N application, where 100 kg N ha-1 as mineral fertilizer, or 1.5 t ha-1 of organomineral fertilizer on a fresh weight basis, were applied at planting (Table 2). Based on estimates of nutrient availability from exp. 1 (Zebarth et al. 2001), it was assumed that 100% of the total N and Mehlich 3 extractable P and 80% of the Mehlich 3 extractable K were plant available in the year of application. Therefore, 1.5 t ha-1 of organo-mineral fertilizer was assumed to supply the equivalent of approximately 100 kg N ha-1, 60 kg P2O5 ha-1, and 50 kg K2O ha -1. The nutrient analyses of the organo-mineral fertilizer formulations differed slightly among years due to changes in the production method (Table 3). The organo-mineral fertilizer has a C:N ratio of approximately 5. The trials were planted 2000 Jun. 14, 2001 May 22 and 2002 May 23. A custom planter was used to band the inorganic fertilizer treatments and open the rows for planting. The inorganic fertilizer was banded approximately 7.5 cm to each side and 5 cm below the potato seed pieces. The organic fertilizer treatments were hand-applied as a band on the soil surface immediately above the location of the inorganic fertilizer band. The trial was then hand-planted using handcut 49 g Russet Burbank seed at 0.46 m within row spacing and 0.91 m between row spacing. Split N applications were made using a custom disc type hiller that applied N as NH4NO3 immediately in front of the disks. The split N application was applied 2000 Jul. 12, 2001 Jun. 28 and 2002 Jun. 26 [28, 37 and 34 d after planting (DAP), respectively], at what would be typical timing for first cultivation in Atlantic Canada potato fields. Standard commercial practices were used for control of diseases, insects and weeds (Bernard et al. 1993). No irrigation was applied. Soil samples for inorganic N concentration were collected for the 0- to 15-cm and 15- to 30-cm depths by replicate prior to planting and by plot after final tuber harvest. Each sample consisted of 15 cores when sampled by replicate,

0:0 200:0 100:0 100:50 100:100 1.5A:0 1.5A:50 1.5A:100 0.75A:0 0.75A:150 3.0A:0

N at first P2O5 at cultivation plantingz (kg ha–1)

0 0 200 0 100 0 100 50 100 100 1.5 t ha–1 Ay 0 1.5 t ha–1 A 50 1.5 t ha–1 A 100 0.75 t ha–1 A 0 0.75 t ha–1 A 150 3.0 t ha–1 A 0

150 150 150 150 150 90 90 90 120 120 30

K2O at plantingz 150 150 150 150 150 100 100 100 125 125 50

zTreatments

were chosen assuming 1.5 t ha–1 of organo-mineral fertilizer would supply the equivalent of approximately 100 kg N ha–1, 60 kg P2O5 ha–1, and 50 kg K2O ha–1. yOrgano-mineral fertilizer formulation A744 in 2001, and A644 in 2002. Table 3. Nutrient analyses of organo-mineral fertilizer products on a fresh weight basis (n = 3) Parameter

C19744

Year applied 2000 Dry matter content (g kg–1) 690 (9)z Kjeldahl N (g kg–1) 53.3 (2.6) NH4-N (g kg–1)y 9.2 (0.6) –1 y NO3-N (g kg ) 5.8 (0.5) P (g kg–1)x 15.0 (1.1) K (g kg–1)x 35.1 (1.3) Ca (g kg–1)x 5.8 (0.4) –1 x Mg (g kg ) 3.6 (0.2)

A744

A644

2001 2002 752 (9) 903 (2) 56.3 (2.9) 62.1 (2.9) 7.4 (1.2) 8.2 (0.6) 5.4 (0.2) 0.03 (0.002) 13.7 (0.8) 11.4 (1.0) 34.2 (1.9) 34.4 (2.1) 5.3 (0.4) 11.1 (1.1) 3.2 (0.2) 3.1 (0.2)

zStandard deviation in parentheses. yKCl extractable. xMehlich 3 extractable.

and 10 cores when sampled by plot, collected using a random sampling strategy (Zebarth and Milburn 2003) and using a 2.54-cm-diameter soil sampler. Samples were frozen immediately and kept frozen until analyzed. Subsequently, the samples were thawed under cool conditions, the soil was sieved to pass a 4.75-mm screen, and a 20-g sub-sample of moist soil was oven dried at 105°C to determine gravimetric water content. A 20 g subsample of moist soil was extracted with 1.7 M KCl using a 1:5 soil:extractent ratio and 30 min shaking time. Concentrations of NO3-N and NH4-N in the extracts were determined colourimetrically on a Technicon TRAACS 800 as described by Zebarth and Milburn (2003). Soil inorganic N concentrations were converted to units of kg ha-1 based on average soil bulk density values determined using the soil core method and corrected for mineral soil particles greater than 4.75 mm. A whole-plant sample was collected from each plot prior to topkill to estimate plant dry matter and N accumulation. Each sample consisted of four adjacent hills selected from one harvest row. Plants were partitioned into vines, tubers and stolons plus readily recoverable roots, and plant dry matter and N accumulation were determined as described by Zebarth and Milburn (2003). Trials were topkilled 2000 Sep. 18, 2001 Sep. 19 and 2002 Sep. 17, and final tuber harvest was done on 2000 Oct.

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12, 2001 Oct. 04 and 2002 Oct. 07 using the centre two crop rows. Total tuber fresh weight yield was determined. An approximately 25-kg sample of tubers was used for grading according to the standard processing potato contract in New Brunswick, including evaluation of tubers for internal and external defects, for tuber size (small, < 2”; Canada No. 1, > 2”; large, > 284 g), and for tuber specific gravity. Six representative tubers were selected for determination of dry matter and total N and NO3-N concentrations. The tubers were processed similarly to the tubers sampled at topkill. Tuber NO3-N concentration was determined as described by Zebarth et al. (2004b). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for both experiments using the General Linear Model procedure of SAS software (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, Version 8). Treatment means were compared using single degree of freedom contrasts. Apparent recovery of applied mineral fertilizer N by the crop was estimated as the slope of the regression of plant N accumulation against rate of fertilizer N applied at planting, expressed as a percentage (Zebarth et al. 2004a). Apparent recovery of applied organo-mineral fertilizer was estimated using a similar approach, where the fertilizer N applied at planting was taken as the sum of Kjeldahl N plus NO3-N (Table 3). Fertilizer N equivalence of the organo-mineral fertilizer was estimated as the apparent recovery of organo-mineral fertilizer N, divided by the apparent recovery of applied mineral N, expressed as a percentage. Direct comparisons of the mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer treatments were not possible due to the selection of treatments in exp. 1, and to variation in the concentration and availability of the N in the organo-mineral fertilizer product in exp. 2. Therefore, selected tuber yield, size and quality parameters and soil NO3-N content at harvest were plotted against the rate of organo-mineral fertilizer N applied at planting, adjusted for the estimated fertilizer N equivalence of the organo-mineral fertilizer in that year, and against the rate of mineral fertilizer N applied at planting. This allowed a graphical comparison of these parameters at comparable rates of N from mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer sources. RESULTS Growing season (May-September) precipitation was 101, 81 and 91% of the long-term (1961–1990) average of 456 mm in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Growing season mean air temperature was 18.2, 15.3 and 16.6°C in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively, compared with the long-term average of 15.5°C. Crop growth was good in 2000 and 2002, although yield potential was reduced in 2000 due to delayed planting, whereas the crop suffered severe drought stress late in the growing season in 2001. There was limited yield response to fertilizer N application in exp. 1 (Table 4). Total and marketable tuber yields for the 0:0 treatment were 87 and 78% of yield for the 200:0 treatment, respectively. Marketable tuber yield increased with increasing at-planting mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer N rate, whereas total tuber yield increased with increasing at-planting organo-mineral fertilizer N rate. There was no yield response to split N application.

In exp. 2, there was a significant year by N fertility treatment interaction on tuber total and marketable yields (Table 5). Tuber yields were higher, but generally less responsive to N application in 2002 compared with 2001. For example, tuber yield was higher for 200:0 treatment compared with the 100:0 treatment in 2001, whereas yield did not differ between these treatments in 2002 (Table 6). Tuber total and marketable yields increased with increasing at-planting mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer N rates. Total tuber yield was increased by split N application rate when organo-mineral fertilizer was applied at planting. Application of 200 kg N ha–1 as mineral fertilizer all at planting or as a split application had no significant effect on tuber yield. In exp. 1, the percentage of small tubers was decreased with increasing at-planting mineral fertilizer N rate (Tables 5 and 6). There were no other significant treatment effects on tuber size distribution. In exp. 2, mean tuber weight and the percentage of large tubers were greater, and the percentage of small tubers was lower, in 2002 compared with 2001 (Tables 5 and 6). Increased at-planting fertilizer N rate decreased the percentage of small tubers and increased the percentage of large tubers and mean tuber weight. Increased split N application increased the percentage of large tubers when mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer were applied at planting, and decreased the percentage of small tubers when organo-mineral fertilizer was applied at planting. Application of 200 kg N ha–1 as mineral fertilizer all at planting or as a split application had no significant effect on tuber size distribution. Tuber specific gravity in exp. 1 decreased with increasing at-planting rate of mineral N fertilizer, and with increasing split N application rate when organo-mineral fertilizer was applied at planting (Table 4). In exp. 2, there was no effect of year and no year by N fertility treatment interaction on tuber specific gravity (Tables 5 and 7). Tuber specific gravity decreased with increasing at-planting rate of mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer. There was no effect of split N application on tuber specific gravity. Tuber specific gravity was higher when 200 kg N ha–1 as mineral fertilizer was applied as a split application compared with all at planting. In exp. 1, tuber NO3-N concentration increased with increasing at-planting rate of mineral fertilizer; however, this effect was not significant for at-planting organo-mineral fertilizer N rate (Table 4). Tuber NO3-N concentration increased with increasing split N application rate when mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer was applied at planting. In exp. 2, tuber NO3-N concentration was increased with increasing at-planting rate of mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer (Tables 5 and 7). Increasing split N application rate also increased tuber NO3-N concentration. There was a significant year by N fertility treatment interaction on tuber NO3-N concentration; most N fertility treatments resulted in a large increase in tuber NO3-N concentration relative to the control in 2001, whereas only the highest rates of mineral fertilizer application resulted in large increases in tuber NO3-N concentration in 2002. Application of 200 kg N ha–1 as mineral fertilizer all at planting or as a split application had no significant effect on tuber NO3-N concentration. Plant N accumulation at topkill in exp. 1 increased with increasing at-planting rate of mineral or organo-mineral fertil-

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391

Table 4. Influence of N fertility treatments on tuber yield, size distribution and quality parameters and on plant N accumulation measured at topkill and soil NO3-N content to 30-cm depth at tuber harvest for exp. 1 in 2000 Total yield

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Treatmentz

Marketable yield (t ha–1)

Small tubers

Large tubers

Mean tuber weight (g)

Specific gravity

Tuber NO3-N (mg kg–1)

(%)

N accum. at Soil topkill NO3-N (kg N ha–1)

0:0 200:0 80:0 80:40 80:80 80:120 1A:0 1A:40 1A:80 1A:120 1A:160 2A:0 2A:40 2A:80 2A:120

34.1 39.2 38.7 39.3 40.1 38.3 37.6 38.3 37.5 38.0 39.3 39.4 39.1 40.8 39.2

25.9 33.5 31.8 31.8 32.8 32.8 28.5 29.8 28.4 31.1 32.3 31.8 32.5 34.2 32.0

24 15 19 19 19 16 24 22 25 19 19 20 19 19 19

11 18 11 12 12 11 7 9 10 10 10 11 10 10 17

111 128 107 128 118 114 100 109 101 114 116 110 120 117 115

1.094 1.087 1.088 1.087 1.087 1.086 1.090 1.090 1.086 1.086 1.086 1.090 1.089 1.087 1.084

21 109 54 69 106 121 42 46 81 97 125 52 95 89 150

91 172 143 151 169 172 129 138 163 171 200 162 162 183 186

20 81 25 38 50 93 20 30 46 47 79 24 49 54 76

Mean SEM (n = 4, df = 42)

38.6 1.7

31.3 1.8

20 2

11 3

114 8

1.088 0.002

84 19

159 14

49 6

Significancey N treatment Planting N rate (mineral) Planting N rate (organo-mineral) Split N rate (80 at planting) Split N rate (1A at planting) Split N rate (2A at planting)

NS NS L NS NS NS

NS L,Q L NS NS NS

NS L,Q NS NS NS NS

NS NS NS NS NS NS

NS NS NS NS NS NS

* L,Q NS NS L L

* L,Q NS L L L

zTreatments defined in Table 1. yL, significant linear contrast; Q,

* L,Q L NS L L

* L,Q NS L,Q L L

significant quadratic contrast; *significant (P < 0.05); NS, not significant.

Table 5. Statistical analyses for results presented in Tables 6 and 7

Source

Total yield

Marketable yield

Small tubers

Large tubers

tuber weight

Mean Specific gravity

Tuber NO3-N

N accum. at topkill

Soil NO3-N

Yearz N treatment Planting N rate (mineral) Planting N rate (organo-mineral) Split N rate (100 at planting) Split N rate (1.5A at planting) 200:0 vs 100:100 Year × N treatment SEM (n = 4, df = 60)

*y * L, Q L, Q NS L NS * 1.6

* * L L, Q NS NS NS * 1.7

* * L, Q L NS L NS NS 2

* * L L L L NS NS 3

* * L L NS NS NS NS 9

NS * L L NS NS * NS 0.002

* * L L L L NS * 14

* * L L L L NS * 10

* * L L L, Q L * * 7

zTested against rep(year). yL, significant linear contrast;

Q, significant quadratic contrast; * significant (P < 0.05); NS, not significant.

izer (Table 4). Plant N accumulation also increased with increasing rate of split N application when organo-mineral fertilizer was applied at planting. There was a significant year by N fertility treatment interaction on plant N accumulation in exp. 2 where plant N accumulation was higher and more responsive to fertilizer N application in 2002 compared with 2001 (Tables 5 and 7). Plant N accumulation was increased by increasing atplanting rate of mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer, and was increased by increasing split N application rate. Application of 200 kg N ha–1 as mineral fertilizer all at planting or as a split application had no significant effect on plant N accumulation. Soil mineral N contents to 30-cm depth at planting averaged 8 and 9 kg NH4-N ha–1 and 47 and 14 kg NO3-N ha–1

for exps. 1 and 2, respectively. Soil NH4-N contents to 30cm depth at tuber harvest were low and not responsive to N fertility treatments with average values of 6 and 10 kg N ha–1 for exps. 1 and 2, respectively. Soil NO3-N contents to 30-cm depth at harvest in exp. 1 were increased with increasing at-planting rate of mineral fertilizer, and with increasing split N application rate (Table 4). In exp. 2, soil NO3-N contents to 30-cm depth at harvest were higher and more responsive to N fertility treatment in 2001 compared with 2002 (Tables 5 and 7). Soil NO3-N content increased with increasing at-planting rate of mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer, and with increasing split N application rate. Application of 200 kg N ha–1 as mineral fertilizer all at

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Table 6. Influence of N fertility treatments on tuber yield and size distribution for exp. 2 in 2001 and 2002 Total yield 2001

2002

Treatmentz

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2001

Small tubers

2002

2001

Large tubers

2002

(t ha–1)

0:0 200:0 100:0 100:50 100:100 1.5A:0 1.5A:50 1.5A:100 0.75A:0 0.75A:150 3.0A:0 Mean zTreatments

Marketable yield

2001

Mean tuber weight

2002

2001

(%)

2002 (g)

18.9 26.7 20.9 24.7 22.6 21.5 23.5 24.2 19.8 20.0 24.3

30.1 45.6 45.8 46.5 47.6 41.8 45.1 45.4 40.1 45.8 41.6

13.2 21.4 14.5 18.0 16.4 16.4 17.8 18.5 14.2 15.5 19.0

22.8 38.0 38.9 42.7 41.7 36.2 39.6 39.0 33.0 39.3 34.2

25 14 18 14 15 21 18 15 24 20 12

26 10 9 9 9 13 10 10 16 11 7

6 22 14 25 19 9 13 21 8 12 21

7 36 32 28 41 15 24 34 16 24 38

99 133 116 144 127 118 124 134 115 112 145

132 173 168 161 172 143 152 160 135 147 181

22.5

43.2

16.8

36.9

18

12

15

27

124

157

defined in Table 2.

Table 7. Influence of N fertility treatments on tuber quality parameters, plant N accumulation measured at topkill and soil NO3-N content to 30-cm depth at tuber harvest for exp. 2 in 2001 and 2002 Tuber NO3-N concentration Specific gravity

2001

Plant N accumulation 2002

2001

Treatmentz

2001

2002

0:0 200:0 100:0 100:50 100:100 1.5A:0 1.5A:50 1.5A:100 0.75A:0 0.75A:150 3.0A:0

1.092 1.086 1.087 1.090 1.091 1.089 1.086 1.090 1.088 1.088 1.088

1.092 1.084 1.088 1.084 1.086 1.091 1.088 1.085 1.092 1.086 1.087

37 228 170 155 188 107 126 162 65 157 138

12 104 45 83 132 24 28 47 14 45 49

60 126 104 132 119 84 104 118 80 102 110

1.089

1.088

139

53

104

Mean zTreatments

Soil NO3-N content 2002

2001

2002

73 229 171 206 226 123 167 198 123 161 187

24 132 78 99 174 42 73 87 31 125 66

13 57 15 27 46 19 18 25 15 23 30

169

85

26

(mg kg–1)

(kg N ha–1)

defined in Table 2.

planting resulted in lower soil NO3-N content compared with split N application in 2001, whereas there was no difference between these two treatments in 2002. Apparent recovery of applied mineral fertilizer N in the plant at topkill was 39, 33 and 78% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively (Fig. 1). In comparison, apparent recovery of organo-mineral fertilizer N was 60, 26 and 57% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Fertilizer N equivalency of the organo-mineral fertilizer N was therefore estimated at 154, 79 and 73% in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Apparent recovery of applied mineral N, however, appeared to be underestimated in 2000; the increase in plant N accumulation between the 100:0 and 200:0 treatment was small, resulting in a lower estimate of apparent fertilizer N recovery. If the 200:0 treatment is excluded in 2000, apparent recovery of mineral fertilizer N in 2000 is increased to 65% and fertilizer N equivalency of the organo-mineral fertilizer N is reduced to 92%. Responses of tuber yield, size and quality parameters and soil NO3-N content at harvest to different rates of N applied as mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer were compared

graphically (Fig. 2). Tuber total and marketable yields for different rates of organo-mineral fertilizer applied at planting, corrected for apparent fertilizer N equivalency in the year applied, were similar to or higher than yields measured for comparable at-planting rates of mineral N fertilizer (Fig. 2a, b). Mean tuber weight was similar for mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer N sources in 2000 and 2001, and was somewhat lower for organo-mineral compared with mineral fertilizer N in 2002 (Fig. 2c). Tuber specific gravity was generally similar or higher in 2000 and 2002, and similar or lower in 2001, for organo-mineral compared with mineral fertilizer N application (Fig. 2d). Application of organo-mineral fertilizer generally resulted in similar or lower tuber NO3-N concentrations and soil NO3-N contents at harvest compared with application of mineral N fertilizer (Fig. 2e-f). DISCUSSION Apparent recovery in the whole plant at topkill of mineral fertilizer N applied at planting varied widely among years. The estimates of apparent recovery in 2000 and 2002 are

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ZEBARTH ET AL. — NITROGEN FROM ORGANO-MINERAL FERTILIZER

Fig. 1. Relationship between plant N accumulation measured at topkill and rate of mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer N applied at planting in three years. The slope of the regression, expressed as a percentage, can be used as an estimate of the apparent recovery of the applied fertilizer N.

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within the range of 58 to 77% reported previously for mineral fertilizer N applied at planting for Russet Burbank (Zebarth et al. 2004a). The low apparent recovery in 2001 is attributed to the severe drought stress experienced by the crop in that year, and is consistent with high soil NO3-N contents measured at harvest in 2001. Similarly, apparent recovery of N from the organo-mineral fertilizer was reduced in 2001. Total N in the organo-mineral fertilizer was estimated to be 73 to 92% as available as mineral fertilizer N. In comparison, the fertilizer N equivalency of manure in the year of application, assuming immediate incorporation to minimize volatilization losses, is expected to range from 65 to 85% for poultry manure, and to be somewhat lower for swine and cattle manure (Conseil des productions végétales du Québec Inc. 1995). Field and laboratory estimates of the availability of N in poultry manure are commonly less than 70% (Bitzer and Sims 1988; Sims and Wolf 1994), and 50% availability when incorporated within 4 h is a typical estimate for availability of N in poultry manure under field conditions (Dean et al. 2000). In addition, the proportion of total N in the organo-mineral fertilizer present in mineral form is within the range of values present in poultry manure (Sims and Wolf 1994). Therefore, the fertilizer N equivalence of the total N in the organo-mineral fertilizer product, measured in the field under crop production conditions, is relatively high in comparison with previously reported estimates for unaltered poultry manure. It is proposed that the organo-mineral fertilizer be used as a sole N source at planting and that additional mineral fertilizer N be applied as a split application if warranted. This would require adoption of split fertilizer N application practices, whereas current grower practice in Atlantic Canada is to apply all fertilizer N at planting. In exp. 2, application of 200 kg N ha–1 all at planting or as a split application had little or no effect on tuber yield or quality parameters. Similarly, previous studies in Atlantic Canada and Maine found no positive effect of split N application on tuber yield or quality, although split N application may reduce yield potential when moisture is limiting early in the growing season (Porter and Sisson 1993; Zebarth and Milburn 2003; Zebarth et al. 2004b). Comparable tuber yield and quality were achieved through the use of mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer products applied at planting. Similarly, use of the organo-mineral fertilizer at planting in combination with split application of mineral fertilizer achieved comparable tuber yield and quality to conventional mineral fertilizer N management. Similar results were obtained in trials conducted in Quebec where the organo-mineral fertilizer was evaluated as a N source for table potato production (Zebarth et al. 2001, 2002, 2003b). In addition, use of the organo-mineral fertilizer had no significant effects on after-cooking darkening, fry colour, or tuber concentrations of glucose or sucrose compared to use of mineral fertilizer (Zebarth et al. 2003b). We therefore recommend application of 1.5 t ha–1 of organo-mineral fertilizer at planting, with additional mineral fertilizer applied as a split application if warranted, as a suitable N source for processing potato production.

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE

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394

Fig. 2. Comparison of (a) total tuber yield, (b) marketable tuber yield, (c) mean tuber weight, (d) tuber specific gravity, (e) tuber NO3-N concentration and (f) soil NO3-N concentration to 30-cm depth at harvest for different rates of mineral or organo-mineral (adjusted for fertilizer N equivalency in that year) fertilizer applied at planting in 3 yr.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding for this project was provided by Agrior Inc. and the Matching Investment Initiative of Agriculture and Agri-

Food Canada. Technical assistance was provided by Karen Terry, Mona Levesque, and Patricia Lamy. Grading of potatoes was done by Yves Leclerc, McCain Foods (Canada).

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