Influence of phosphate fertilization on phosphorus levels in foliage and tuber yield of the potato cv. Ágata

Resumen

The healthy development of potato tubers requires, among other agricultural practices, proper fertilization. Potato crops require large amounts of nutrients, and therefore consume a large amount of fertilizer. In Brazilian soils, phosphorus is the nutrient that produces the highest response in tuber yields. The objective of this work was to study the effect of different levels of phosphorus fertilizer on the potato cultivar Ágata, by evaluating foliar levels of phosphorus and tuber yield under field conditions. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Station of the Agriculture Cooperative Alto Paranaíba (COOPADAP) in Rio Paranaiba, Minas Gerais, during the 2008/2009 growing season. Treatments consisted of five doses of phosphorus (P2O5) (0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 kg ha-1), with superphosphate as the source. The phosphorus content in the leaves of potato plants decreased with increasing doses of phosphorus in the soil. The crop showed an increase in tuber productivity with increasing doses of phosphorus, reaching a maximum estimated productivity of 49.11 t ha-1 with the application of approximately 700 kg ha-1 P2O5.