ICOAS 2015

5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ORGANIC AGRICULTURE SCIENCES, 14-17 OCTOBER 2015, BRATISLAVA – SLOVAKIA

Effect of Pre-crops, Cover crops and Manure Application on Organic Potato

Production in a Field Experiment in eastern Austria

Tsolmon NyamdavaaUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna,

Department Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Material and Methods

• Trial site: Raasdorf (150 m above sea level, 9.8° C, 520 mm; Calcaric Phaeozem, silty loam (2.2 % TOC, pH-7.6)

• Preceding crop species: Lucerne, field pea, spring barley

• Soil amendments: cover crops, farmyard manure

• Succeeding main crop: Potatoes (Ditta)

Material and Methods

Potato yield parameters: Soil parameters:

•Total fresh matter, marketable, dry matter yield

•Tuber size distribution, external and internal quality

•Water content • Inorganic N

availability (NO3- - N

and NH4+ - N)

(in March, up to 90 cm)Statistical analysis: SPSS software (Version 18.0), ANOVA,

Tukey’s test (α = 0.05 / 0.01)

Results

• Soil Nmin content, potato tuber yield differed significanty (P < 0.01) between years

• No significant effects by pre-crops on tuber yield and quality

Figure 1 Two-way interaction for soil NO3- - N

content Legend: +CC: with cover crop, -CC without cover crop

• Four-way interaction effect occured for total tuber yield

• No clear benefits of cover crops and manure

• A positive significant cover crop effect on large sized tubers only.

Results

Figure 2. Complete (pre-crop, cover crop. Manure and year) interaction effect for tuber yield

Legend: +CC: with cover crop, -CC without cover crop

Conclusions

• Field pea can be increase the soil Nmin in silty loam soil in unfavorable year

• Cover crops and manure not consistently enhance potato tuber yield and quality in a high fertility soil.