Influence of calcium nitrate on potato productivity and soil condition in the forest-steppe of the Chelyabinsk region

Abstract

The article discusses the results of field experiments to study the effect of calcium on the formation of the planned yield and quality of potato tubers in the conditions of the Chelyabinsk region. The objectives of the study included assessing the effect of mineral fertilizers on the agrochemical properties of the soil. It has been proven that the use of balanced norms of mineral fertilizers based on a planned yield of 40 t/ha (both with calcium and without it) has a significant impact on the mineral nutrition regime of plants. The introduction of calcium increases the adaptive ability of plants to drought conditions, while an increase in nitrogen nutrition of potatoes is observed in the first half of the growing season, and phosphorus and potassium nutrition throughout the growing season. As a result, in the variant (N₁₃₀P₁₅₀K₁₃₀Ca₁₅₈)  with the introduction of calcium, the highest yield (+41.3% of the control) and the marketability of tubers (+5.1%), as well as high product quality, are observed, while in the variant without calcium (N₁₃₀P₁₅₀K₁₃₀) a decrease in the content of dry matter in tubers by 1.7%, and starch - by 0.99% compared with the control (without fertilizers).