Influence of grass-clover silage quality and application rate on crop performance in organic potato production

Summary

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the major crops contributing to the world’s food requirement. It is one of the most important field crops contributing to the food which is not only used for local consumption but also it helps to increase income through its exportation. Many studies have been carried out on the growth, productivity and nutritional properties of potato, including the effect of organic manures on above-ground crop performance, tuber yield, and quality. However, there exists no study on the effect of grass-clover silage quality (C: N ratio) and its application rate on organic potato production. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of C: N ratio ( 16, 17, 22, and 24) and nitrogen application rate (57, 113 and 170 kg N ha - 1) on above-ground crop performance, tuber yield and agronomic nitrogen efficiency (ANE ; kg tubers per kg N applied) in organic potato production.