Abstract

GILETTO, Claudia Marcela; MAGNONI, Juan Máximo  and  ECHEVERRIA, Hernán Eduardo. Effect of sulfur fertilization on potato for the processing industry in southeastern Buenos Aires. Cienc. suelo [online]. 2012, vol.30, n.1, pp.75-84. ISSN 1850-2067.

In recent years, sulfur (S) requirements in potato crops have been increasing due to increasing yields. Soil organic matter contents have been decreasing in Southeastern Buenos Aires thereby limiting the capacity of the soils in this area to meet the higher requirements. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of S fertilization on potato for the processing industry in southeastern Buenos Aires. Two experiments were carried out (Site 1 and 2) involving three different S rates: S0 (control), S10 (10 kg S ha^-1) and S20 (20 kg S ha^-1). Total dry matter and S accumulation in plant were not affected by S fertilization. The N:S ratio decreased during the growing season in both sites. This ratio was below the critical threshold of 15:1, wich indicates that the crop was not S deficient. Yield, S concentration and N:S ratio in tubers were not affected by S fertilization in any site. The maximum amount of S accumulated in the tubers at harvest averaged 18.8 and 14.2 kg ha^-1 in Site 1 and 2, respectively. Based on the mass balance of S, the main destination of this nutrient in the soil-plant system was to form residual S . In potato, the contributions of S by the application of fungicide and water from irrigation were considerable, reaching values of 14 and 17 kg ha-1, respectively. Therefore, it is highly recommended to determine the contributions of these two sources of S in order to develop strategies for S fertilization on potato.

Keywords : Processing industry; Potato; Production of biomass, N and S concentration; S mass balance.

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