Evaluation of In-Row Plant Spacing and Planting Configuration for Three Irrigated Potato Cultivars

• Published in: American journal of potato research 2011-06, Vol.88 (3), p.207-217
• Main Authors: Tarkalson, David D., King, Bradley A., Bjorneberg, Dave L., Taberna, John P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agriculture; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cultivars; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Irrigation. Drainage; Life Sciences; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences
• ISSN: 1099-209X; 1874-9380
• DOI: 10.1007/s12230-010-9185-9

Research studies have shown that planting potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.) in a bed configuration can improve water movement into the potato root zone. However, plant spacing recommendations are needed for potatoes planted in a bed configuration. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of in-row plant spacing and planting configuration on yield of Russet Burbank, Russet Norkotah, and Ranger Russet potatoes under sprinkler irrigation. For the three cultivars, the effect of in-row plant spacing (three spacing treatments) for each planting configuration (4 row conventional ridged-row [4RC], 5 row bed [5RB], and 7 row bed [7RB]), and the effect of planting configuration at a uniform population on total tuber yield, U.S. No. 1 tuber yield, tubers per ha, average size (by weight), and large tuber yield were investigated at the USDA-ARS Northwest Irrigation & Soils Research Lab in Kimberly, ID on a Portneuf silt loam (coarse-silty mixed mesic Durixerollic Calciorthid) in 2008 and 2009. The greatest influence of in-row plant spacing was on average size and tubers per ha. In general, as in-row plant spacing increased (plant population decreased) the average tuber size increased and tubers per ha decreased. There was little influence of in-row spacing on measured production variables under the bed planting configurations except for tubers per ha which generally increased with narrower plant spacing. For Russet Norkotah and Ranger Russet there were few differences in measured production variables between planting configuration treatments. For Russet Burbank, the 4RC planting configuration had 14.6% significantly greater total tuber yield than the 7RB planting configuration, 20.2% greater U.S. No. 1 tuber yield than both bed planting configurations, and 25.2 and 29.9% greater large tuber yield than the 5RB and 7RB planting configurations, in 2009. Optimum production of Russet Norkotah and Ranger Russet potatoes is possible under all the planting configurations and plant spacing range evaluated in this study, granting growers flexibility in their systems, however, evidence from this study suggests that production of Russet Burbank may be less suited to bed planting configurations.