Agronomic performance of potato as a function of irrigation and fertigation management

• Grant number: 20/09657-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Soil and Water Engineering
• Principal researcher: Luiz Fabiano Palaretti
• Grantee: Julia Ramos Guerreiro
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Potato culture is considered important and significant for the Brazilian sector, favoring thousands of producers. It is cultivated in regions that have a mild climate, in order to favor the sprouting process. Thus, the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais are considered major producers of this vegetable. Studies have indicated that the natural resource, water, is widely used irregularly in addition to exacerbated fertilization in the farm, guide producers notes in order to define and indicate alternatives in the greater taste of water and nutrients by the crop exploited by them. This work defined the following hypothesis: compilation of fertigation techniques with irrigation suppresses at different stages of crop development, allow to manage the correct amount of nutrients, optimizing the process and generating water savings besides favoring decision-making when to cease irrigation by positively altering the agronomic performance of the batateira crop. Based on the hypothesis, the main objective of this proposal was defined, which will be to evaluate agronomic responses of the batsman as a function of fertigation via drip and water deletions during the crop cycle. This trial will be implemented in the Irrigation Sector of the Department of Engineering and Exact Sciences of Unesp de Jaboticabal. In the experimental area will be cultivated the potato variety FL 1867 tubers of 1st generation. The experiment will be conducted in a 3x3 factorial scheme, where 3 irrigation deletions will be used during the crop cycle, with a delta of 10 days, being C1: 100 DAP; C2: 110 DAP; C3: 120 DAP with 3 fertigations via drip: F1 - fertigation according to the absorption gait of the crop; F2 - equivalent fertigation, considering the application of 50% on the first day and 50% in the middle of the development phase considered; F3 - fertigation in concentration (ppm) taking into account the volume of water applied in irrigation. The statistical design to be used will be randomized blocks, where 9 treatments will be installed in 6 replicates. All treatments will be influenced by a single irrigation water regime (100% ETc). For irrigation management, a variable irrigation shift will be adopted as a function of climate and soil parameters. To evaluate the response of the crop to the treatments imposed, the following evaluations will be analyzed: emergence of plants, number of main stems, plant height, number of tubers, length of stolões, length/width ratio (Tuber shape index-IFT), weight of fresh and dry mass of shoots, root system and tubers, green color index, nitrogen content in leaves, relative water content in leaves, classification of tubers, percentage of marketable tubers, total number and average mass of tubers, specific gravity and efficiency in water use. The data will be analyzed using the Agroestat Version 1.0 software and interpreted through the significance of variance analyses, considering the probability level of up to 5% by the F test.