Row treatment of potatoes with systemics for meadow nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans) control

Granular aldicarb and carbofuran, systemic carbamate insecticides, were applied at 3 lbs active per acre to compare their control of the meadow nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans). These systemic pesticides were applied either in two bands 2–3 inches from both sides of and at the lower plane of the seed-piece or in one band 4–5 inches wide and 1/2 inch above the seed. Two months after planting, nematode populations were greatly reduced in soil and roots from plots treated with either chemical and with both placement methods. Aldicarb provided effective control longer into the growing season than did carbofuran. When compared with carbofuran, aldicarb-treated potao plants lived longer and produced a greater increase in yield over the untreated plots. Yield increases were greater when either systemic was applied in side bands than when placed over the seed.     

Terraclor (PCNB) for control ofRhizoctonia solani. II. PCNB residues in tubers

Terraclor (PCNB) applied to soils by broadcast and row slightly reduced the incidence ofRhizoctonia solani but did not increase yield or per cent of U. S. No. 1 tubers either by weight or numbers. Residues of PCNB in tubers grown in treated soils increased as the rate per acre of PCNB increased. Almost all of the residues were in the tuber peel.     

Effect of pentachloronitrobenzene soil treatment on flavor of potatoes

Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) was applied to the soil prior to planting at the following rates of active ingredient per acre: 50 pounds at Maine and at North Dakota in 1959, 12.5 and 25 pounds at North Dakota and 20 pounds at Maine in 1960, and 50 pounds at New Jersey in 1961. One or more panels evaluated the flavor of the potato samples. No off-flavors were reported when potatoes were grown in soil treated with 12.5 or 25 pounds of active PCNB per acre at the one location. Off-flavors were found with PCNB treatment with 20 pounds active ingredient at one location and with 50 pounds active ingredient per acre at three locations.     

Dosage rates and application methods with PCNB for control of potato scab and rhizoctonia

American Journal of Potato Research - Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) controlled potato scab in fine sandy loam of the Yakima Valley when applied at the rate of 50 pounds per acre broadcast before...     

Fumigants,rates, and application methods affecting Verticillium wilt incidence and potato yields

A three year comparison was made among fumigants, rates and placement for control ofVerticillium albo-atrum (microsclerotial type). Fumigants were placed in the soil by (i) row method [one shank with duck-foot tool attached to give two bands of fumigant 9 inches (22.8 cm) deep and 9 inches apart (4.5 inches = 11.4 cm from center of a 36-inch row = 91.44 cm)], (ii) deep shank method [one shank in center of a 36-inch row, 18–20 inches (45.7–50.8 cm) deep], (iii) and by the standard broadcast method (four shanks spaced 9 inches deep and 9 inches apart per 36-inch row). The row and deep shank methods were no more effective than the broadcast method when the fumigant rate was equal (calculated on an acre basis and not on the actual portion of the row treated by the method of application). Fewer wilted plants and increased yields (120–160 hundredweight per acre = 134–179 quintals per hectare) were found in plots treated with (i) DD + Picfume (4:1), (ii) Telone + Picfume (4:1), (iii) Telone C, (iv) Terr-o-cide 30, (v) Terr-o-cide 30D and (vi) Vorlex at 25 gal per acre (233.8 liters per hectare) for all years tested. Yield was increased in plots treated at 12.5 gal per acre (116.9 liters per hectare) in 1968 and 1970, but not in 1969. Rates below 12.5 gal per acre were not effective in increasing yield and there was no advantage to applying fumigants above 25 gal per acre. All the six fumigants were equally effective in their control.     

Fertilizer application methods for Irish potatoes compared

This study was conducted in eastern Virginia on a Sassafras fine sandy loam soil to determine whether fertilizer for Irish potatoes could be broadcast before planting instead of band-placed at planting. Band placement is considered the most efficient method; however, use of the broadcast method involves less labor and speeds up the planting process. Two rates of fertilizer were used, 100 and 150 pounds per acre (112 and 169 Kg/Ha) of N, P₂O₅ and K₂O (43.7 and 65.6 pounds of P and 84.0 and 124.5 pounds of K) in a commercial material. The two rates were applied broadcast after plowing and disced in, on the rye cover before plowing, on the rye cover in January and band-placed at planting. Pungo and Superior varieties were compared, and responses varied from year to year and between varieties. The yields of Pungo potatoes were not significantly influenced by the two fertilizer rates or methods and time of application. Thus, for the Pungo variety, 100 pounds per acre (112 Kg/Ha) each of N, P₂O₅ (43.7 pounds P) and K₂O (83 pounds K) were adequate, either broadcast or band-placed. The Superior variety was less tolerant of adverse growing conditions than the Pungo and when stunted produced higher yields with band-placed fertilizer. The Superior variety under more optimum conditions (1968) produced higher yields with the broadcast fertilizer application.     

THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF COCKSFOOT FOGGAGE FOR WINTER GRAZING IN SOUTH-WEST SCOTLAND

The production and use of cocksfoot foggage for winter grazing at the Hannah Dairy Research Institute in the period 1956–61 is described. Two acres of cocksfoot (S37) were sown broadcast in 1956 and two acres were drilled in rows 28 in apart in 1957. The average annual application of fertilizer nutrients was 118 lb. N, 51 1b. P2O5 and 142 lb. K2O per acre.
The mean yield of the broadcast section was 7450 lb. dry matter/acre/annum compared with 6090 lb. from the rowcrop section. Normally two crops of grass were harvested from the field in the summer, and one grazing was made in the winter. The yield of winter herbage dry matter was 28% and 26% of the total annual yield of the broadcast and the rowcrop sections, respectively.
The field was grazed for four successive winters by 5–10 bulling heifers each weighing 650–850 lb. They received no other feed during the grazing period. Grazing started in December and finished in February, March or April in different years. The mean intake of herbage dry matter was only 6 lb./day, and on average the heifers lost 80 lb. liveweight each winter. This loss was regained after 4–6 weeks when the winter grazing finished. Twenty-nine of the 30 heifers held to the first or second service while grazing the winter herbage.
On average the broadcast section gave 340 heifer-grazing-days per acre during the winter and the rowcrop section 260 days. The cost of a heifer-grazing-day was 3id. and 4id. on the broadcast and rowcrop sections, respectively.
The dry matter of the herbage cut on 19 December 1960 had a digestible crude protein content of 59% and a starch equivalent of 34.
It is concluded that on well-drained land the technique of foggage production and of winter grazing can usefully extend the normal grazing season and hence reduce the costs of winter feeding.     

Alaska Frostless,an inherently frost resistant potato variety

A potato clone with frost resistant foliage designated Alaska Frostless has been selected from the progeny of crosses involvingSolanum acaule and commercial varieties. Its chromosome number is (2N=5X=60). Nearly mature vines have withstood field frosting at?3 C for 2 hours and have recovered from several frosts of?2 C. Yields in cwt per acre of tubers 2–3.5 inch in diameter have equaled those of Alaska's standard varieties. Dry matter of 21.7% is equivalent to that of the Green Mountain variety. Tubers are flattened, round, smooth and white with a nonuniform faintly purple blush after exposure to light. Culinary quality, flavor, and texture are very good.     

Nitrogen fertilizatioin of potatoes for early summer harvest

Rates of N applied to sandy loam soil with wheat as the preceding years crop was studied as to the influence on tuber yields of potatoes grown for early summer harvest in Southwestern Indiana. Most of the yield response was to the first 75 lbs/acre (84 kg/ha) increment of N which increased the yield of US #1 potatoes 61 cwt/acre in 1967 and 52 cwt/acre in 1968. The total solids were not significantly decreased by the first increment of N applied which was also the N range of rapid yield increase. N fertilization increased the N content of the foliage from 3.0 to 4.0% in 1967 and 3.97 to 5.17 in 1968 and the tubers from 1.36 to 2.96 in 1968. The first 75 lbs N increment was efficiently converted to crude protein, 48% incorporation, but the succeeding increments were poorly converted.     

Row fumigation with Vorlex for control of a meadow nematode (Pratlylenchus penetrans) in potatoes

Row fumigation with Vorlex at 3 and 7 gallons per acre was applied for meadow nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans) control in potatoes. The material was applied 3 weeks before planting using one chisel per row at a depth of 8″, and ridged. The treatments resulted in a reduction in population ofP. penetrans in the soil and in the potato roots. On a soil with a relatively high population of meadow nematodes, row application of Vorlex at 3 and 7 gal per acre resulted in a yield increase of 10 and 14% respectively, and a lower incidence of tubers with vascular discoloration. By early October as many nematodes were present in treated rows as in untreated rows. Row fumigation is of value for only one potato crop.     

THE RESPONSE TO FERTILIZER TREATMENTS OF WINTER WHEAT GROWN AFTER LEYS

Over three years, eight replicated experiments were conducted in which winter wheat was sown after a ley with and without seedbed applications of P and K. Fertilizer N was applied at 0, 45, 90 and 135 lb per acre in one dressing in early spring. Observations were made on tiller counts, grain size and yield.
There were no significant interactions between N and mineral fertilizer. Mineral fertilizer had no important effect on tillering or grain yield. Consideration of the previous fertilization of the pastures showed that there was probably an adequate reserve of P and K in the soil, although soil analysis did not always reveal it.
Nitrogenous fertilizer significantly increased fertile tiller numbers and raised yield of grain up to an application of 45 lb N per acre in 1960 and 90 lb N per acre in 1961 (after a wet winter). The average responses to 90 lb per acre of N after leys were 74, 6·3 and 101 cwt grain per acre in 1959, 1960 and 1961, respectively. In 1961 the corresponding response in an arable field was 16·3 cwt.
It is concluded that after a well-fertilized ley neither mineral fertilizers nor N are necessary in the seed bed and that the ley contributes about 45 lb N per acre towards the succeeding crop. The practical advantages of autumn drilling without fertilizer are stressed and reference is made to the importance of considering fertilizer applications for the rotation as a whole.     

Production and chemical composition of potatoes related to placement and rate of nitrogen

Experiments with 11 N rates were conducted 3 years with Kennebec potatoes on Bodenburg silt loam in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska. Fertilizer placed in the row was compared with that mixed with the soil in the row for 2 years. Foliage and tuber samples were analyzed for chemical content. Stand reduction and decreased vigor occurred when row placed N exceeded 120–160 1b per acre. Foliage dry matter decreased 2 years as rate of N increased. Tuber dry matter was decreased one year by N rates exceed ing 100 1b per acre. U. S. No. 1 yield and dry matter with row placement of fertilizers at 40–80 1b N were highest in 2 years. When fertilizer was mixed with soil, both US No. 1 and dry matter yields increased each year with each N increment through 160 1b per acre. Increasing amounts of N tended to increase the N in foliage and tubers, the Mn in foliage but to decrease the Ca, Mg, Al, Ba, and Sr in foliage. Mixing the fertilizer with the soil as compared to placement in the row increased the Ca, Mg, Al, Ba, Fe, and Sr in foliage, and the tuber uptake of N, K, Mg, and Sr and decreased foliage N. Alaskan potato growers have doubled or tripled their rate of application of fertilizer over the past 15 years. At digging time potato plants are usually green and some growers have felt these higher fertilizer rates were supplying an excess of N which was delaying tuber maturity and decreasing tuber quality.     

Effect of antitranspirants on yield of Norgold Russet potatoes under greenhouse and field conditions

Antitranspirants (AT) were applied to greenhouse, field research plots and commercial plantings of Norgold Russet potato plants. In the greenhouse AT (Folicote and Vapor Gard) reduced water uptake by plants by 20–40%. In field trials at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Halfway, similar concentrations increased yield of Norgold Russet potatoes by 21–45 cwts per acre (2352–5040 kg/ha). In a commercial trial on 20 acres of potatoes, 2% Folicote applied 5 and 3 weeks prior to vine kill increased total yield by 47 cwts per acre (5264 kg/ha) and increased yield of premium grade potatoes by 100%. Gross crop value at harvest was increased $500 per acre ($1125/ha). Significantly higher soil moisture levels existed in soils of treated plots between irrigations.     

FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT FOR MEAT PRODUCTION

This paper deals with the second three years (April 1954 to March 1957) of a grazing-management trial in the form of a pilot farm. The whole area of 35.5 acres was run as a self-contained unit with the object of providing grazing for as long a period of the year as possible. A system of rotational grazing was used throughout with strip- and fold-grazing at certain seasons. Excess herbage was conserved as silage and hay and fed back to stock during the winter. Beef-type steers and ewes and lambs grazed the pastures, the saleable products being fat cattle, lambs and wool. Results are presented and discussed in relation to stock numbers, animal health, herbage production and botanical composition, fertilizer application and the levels of production achieved. Over-all average fertilizer dressings per acre for the three years were equivalent to 5 cwt. per acre nitro-chalk, 2 cwt. per acre superphosphate and 1 cwt. per acre muriate of potash. The outputs of utilised starch equivalent in 1954–5, 1955–6 and 1956–7 were 2970, 2850 and 2280 1b. per acre, respectively. On the basis of the six years' results it is concluded that high production can be achieved from a system where the object is an extended grazing season; that broadcast leys can be used for winter grazing and the botanical composition of the sward maintained; that self-fed silage can be a satisfactory feed for fattening cattle; that a grazing plan is a valuable guide to management; and that the pilot-farm method is of value for certain agronomic experiments.     

Effects of antitranspirants on yield,grade distribution,and water use of potatoes

The influence of two antitranspirant materials on yield and grade distribution of potatoes was studied during 1975 and 1976. An experimental material (AmChem 74-A335)³ was tested in 1975 at 1:9 concentration in water and 150 gal. of spray per acre (1402 1/ha). Yields of >8 oz. Norgold Russet tubers were increased by 96 cwts per acre (10741 Kg/ha) with no change in total yield. The yield increase was due to an increase in tuber size, as total numbers remained unchanged. Formulation problems rendered the material unavailable for tests in 1977. In 1976 a different antitranspirant (Folicote)³ was studied at Lubbock and Hereford at 1:100 and 1:50 concentrations in 50 gal. water (1402 1/ha). Applications were made at bloom and four weeks later. The Lubbock trial included two irrigation regimes and in each trial both Red LaSoda and Norgold Russet response was studied. The antitranspirant resulted in yield increased of >8 oz. grade Norgold Russet potatoes at Lubbock with no effect on total yield. Total yield of Red LaSoda potatoes was increased by 135 cwts in plots irrigated less frequently at Lubbock with no increase in more frequently irrigated plots at Lubbock and Hereford. Antitranspirants reduced peak soil moisture tension levels by 10–15 centibars (cb) for several weeks after application indicating the potential for extending the period between irrigations.     

LEY DETERIORATION AND SOIL INSECTS

Two insecticides were applied to a 5-year-old ley and their effects on yield and soil fauna were studied a year later. Aldrin (2 lb. actual toxicant per acre) or dieldrin (1 lb. actual toxicant per acre) was incorporated in a standard dressing of compound fertilizer.
One year after treatment the yield of dry matter was significantly higher on dieldrin plots than on plots receiving fertilizer alone. The soil fauna was examined in dieldrin and control plots. The wireworm ( Agriotes spp.) populations were 80,000 and 400,000 per acre respectively. The increase in herbage yield was ascribed to the reduction in the number of wireworms. Mite and Collembola populations were very significantly reduced by dieldrin: the effect of this reduction on the breakdown of soil organic matter is discussed. A reduction in numbers of predaceous insects also followed insecticidal treatment, but it is thought that the resurgence rate of these insects would keep pace with that of wireworms.     

Effects of gypsum,sulfur, terraclor and terraclor super-x for potato scab control

An investigation was made to determine possible effects of gypsum and sulfur for control of common scab of potato [Streptomyces scabies (Thaxt.) Waksman and Henrici] in a highly buffered calcareous soil. This investigation included a comparison of the effectiveness of gypsum and sulfur with Terraclor and Terraclor Super-X. Both gypsum and sulfur reduced potato scab and measurements indicate that change of soil pH was slight (0.1–0.4 pH reduction). Band applications of sulfur in the sulfate (gypsum) or elemental form were effective at 600 lbs/A (672.5 Kg/ha) but not at lower rates. The weight of tubers thrown out of grade with scab was reduced by 53% with the effective sulfur rate. Treatment effects of gypsum (600 lb S/A-672.5 Kg/ha) were not significantly different from sulfur dust (600 lb/A-672.5 Kg/ha), Terraclor or Terraclor Super-X (both at 25.0 lb PCNB/A-28.0 Kg/ha). Tissue analyses of tuber peelings showed a significant reduction in calcium from treatments involving sulfur and gypsum, indicating that calcium levels in tuber peelings were positively correlated with scab susceptibility.     

WHITE CLOVER TRIAL

Yields were recorded from a potato crop grown in the first year following a grazing trial comparing four strains of white clover, previously described in this journal (2 & 3). The Kent clover strain, which was the most persistent and which had produced the greatest live-weight increase per acre, gave the highest yield of potatoes. The Dutch white clover, which had been the poorest in the grassland trial, gave the lowest yield of potatoes.
A 2 × 2 × 2 N, P, K fertilizer design was superimposed in the form of split plots. Nitro-chalk at 5 cwt. per acre and muriate of potash at 2 cwt. per acre both caused significant reductions in yield, and this was thought to be due to the exceptionally high soil fertility status of the field. The fertilizer × clover interactions were non-significant, and contributed little towards an explanation of the fundamental basis of the soil fertility differences caused by these four clover strains.     

Recent studies on potato manuring in Ireland

Summary Lime has not been found of importance for potatoes except on cutaway hochmoor. Nutrient requirements per acre are about 70 lbs nitrogen. 40 lbs phosphorus and 170 lbs potassium. Farmyard manure was found to be a poor source of nitrogen but a good source of phosphorus and potassiu. Different nitrogenous fertilizers in general gave similar results, but calcium cyanamide gave inferior results. Phosphatic fertilizers, except rock phosphate. generally compared well with superphosphate. Sulphate gave total yieds as high as, and starch yields higher than, muriate of potash. Growing potatoes for several years under nutrient deficiency did not affect “seed” vigour. Potassium deficiency could not be corrected by spraying but top dressing gave good results. Soil analysis gave good correlation of nutrient level with crop response to applied fertilizer. P and K deficiency had serious adverse effects on tuber size, K being worse in this respect than P deficiency. Paper read to the “Agronomy” Section at the 1st Triennial Conference of the E.A.P.R. Brunswick-V?lkenrode, 12–17 September 1960.     

BENEFIT OF LEYS—STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENT OR NITROGEN RESERVES

Although it has been widely established that increased crop yields follow leys sown on arable land, the relative importance of the many causative factors which may be involved is obseure. An attempt has been made to evaluate the influence of 3- to 4-year leys on the organic matter in an arable soil and to distinguish also the relative importance of the resultant change in moisture-holding capacity, crumb stability and the nitrogen status of the soil as factors in the yield of winter wheat.
An increase of about 4 tons per acre in total soil organic matter was recorded after 3 years under grazed swards. Moisture-holding capacity increased by an amount equivalent to the evapo-trans-piration loss from a full plant cover on one summer day. An increase in crumb stability was largely confined to the top inch of soil, which is effectively buried when leys are ploughed.
The influence of variation in soil nitrogen status and in crumb stability on the yield of winter wheat after leys was examined by multiple regression analysis of data obtained over a number of yean from field experiments. After allowing for the effect of variation in the nitrogen status of the soil, the influence of variation in crumb stability was insignificant Conversely variation in the nitrogen status of soils, sampled under leys before ploughing, was closely correlated (r =+0.93***) with wheat yield.