Impact of Inter-Row Cultivation on Potato Tuber Yields in Organic Farming

Abstract

The paper highlights the surging interest in organic agriculture among both food producers and consumers in Russia. However, when transitioning from intensive agricultural production to organic technologies, certain problems arise. This applies to crop cultivation, especially potatoes, as the ban on traditional mineral fertilizers necessitates the search for rational and science-based alternative methods. (Research purpose) The study aims to investigate the impact of deep inter-row potato cultivation on tuber yield without using fertilizers. (Materials and methods) To adapt crop cultivation practices in the North-West region to organic production requirements, a six-field crop rotation, including potatoes, was implemented at the Institute of Agroengineering and Environmental Problems of Agricultural Production. The experimental field soil is characterized as soddy-podzolic and light loamy. For the experiment, the domestic potato variety Udacha was used. Continuous monitoring was conducted for the soil’s physical parameters. Inter-row cultivation was performed in two ways: hilling with harrowing using the row-crop cultivator KON-2.8 + BRU (control planting) and deep cultivation to 27 centimeter depth with the KNO-2.8 + BRU (test planting). (Results and discussion) Digital agromonitoring of environmental climatic parameters and soil physical characteristics, including hardness and moisture content, was conducted. The study examined the impact of inter-row-cultivation method on potato yields over three years. In three-year retrospective study, the highest yield of 20.57 tons per hectare was achieved in 2022, while adverse soil and climatic conditions in 2021 led to the lowest yields of 12.8 tons in the control planting and 14.19 tons in the experiment planting. (Conclusions) By creating favorable soil conditions for potato development through eliminating compaction in the rows, the increase in yield can reach 27 percent due to deep row cultivation, improved soil moisture, and moisture retention.