Abstract
Yields of U. S. No. 1 potatoes and numbers of deformed tubers were significantly correlated with air permeability near the surface and soil bulk densities down to 8 inches. Yields of No. 1 grade were correlated positively with soil air permeability and negatively with soil bulk density, whereas for deformed tuber production the correlations were the reverse. Total tuber production had a low correlation with soil factors because of the opposing responses of U. S. No. 1’s and deformed tubers. In a multiple-regression analysis, large variations in total yield, grade distribution, emergence rate, and final stand were accounted for by considering soil bulk density, soil strength, and air permeability. Production of quality tubers was closely associated with mechanical-impedance factors in the immediate zone of tuber development. Yields of U. S. No. 1’s were reduced 35% by a severe soil-compaction treatment in the beds.
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Contribution from the departments of Water Science and Engineering and Vegetable Crops, University of California, Davis 95616.
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Grimes, D.W., Bishop, J.C. The influence of some soil physical properties on potato yields and grade distribution. American Potato Journal 48, 414–422 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02863531
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02863531