Tuesday, 7 October 2008 George R. Brown Convention Center,
Exhibit Hall E Recent increases in the cost of fertilizer
nitrogen have prompted producers to assess the potential to vary
inputs in space and time to produce the highest marketable yield
of potatoes. A study was conducted from 2005 to 2007 near
Brandon, Manitoba Canada, to assess the spatial variability of
potato yield in upper, middle and lower landforms on a sandy
loam soil in response to a range of nitrogen fertilizer rates
and split application. Petiole nitrogen, determined late in the
growing season, was correlated with potato yield and was used to
assess nitrogen sufficiency through the growing season. Petiole
nitrogen varied with time during the growing season, from
uniform levels in June across all fertilizer treatments, to
those which varied with fertilizer treatment in July and August.
Furthermore potato petiole nitrogen was higher in lower
landforms during July and August, where higher total and
marketable yields were recorded. The potenti