ISHS Acta Horticulturae 792: V International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops
ROOT DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR POTATO MANAGEMENT |
| Authors: | A. Battilani, F.L. Plauborg, S. Hansen, F. Dolezal, W. Mazurczyk, J. Bizik, J. Coutinho |
| Keywords: | root zone volume, Solanum tuberosum, fertigation, DSS |
| Abstract:
Correct evaluation of the root zone volume is essential to optimise crop water and nutrient management and to improve horticulture sustainability by reducing nitrogen non-point pollution and water use. A daily estimate of the root zone volume of row crops requires an evaluation of root elongation rate on three axes: depth, width between rows and length within row. Potato root growth rate was determined from data collected in the frame of the EU project FertOrgaNic from 2003 to 2005 in five experimental stations in Europe representative of most of the potato growing soil and climatic conditions. Because of the negligible level of growth limiting factors, typical of a fertigated cropping system, the simple algorithms proposed are based on cumulative thermal units (ΣThU) instead of a more complex carbon assimilation and partitioning approach. Algorithms fitted to the observed root elongation data were sufficiently precise to allow effective irrigation and fertigation management. Results from different soil and climatic conditions showed that root growth was maximum at 298 (ΣThU (depth) and at 243 (ΣThU (width). Root growth during the rapid growth stage in silty loam and loam soil ranged from 0.105 to 0.189 cm ThU-1 while on loamy sand soils (83% coarse sand) reached 0.328 cm ThU-1. Root growth was influenced by soil particle size distribution only where there was a marked difference in the soil structure (coarse sandy soil; sand > 70%). The proposed algorithms were implemented into the FertOrgaNic decision support system (DSS). | |
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