Fertility Management on Potato (Solanum tubersumL.) Crop

Abstract

Potato is an important food security and cash crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. However, the yield of the crop is low at national as well as regional levels which constrained mainly low soil fertility. This review aims to recognize the effect of combined application of inorganic Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK) and cattle manure (CM) fertilizers on vegetative growth, yield components and improved productivity of the soil. Findings from various individual studies were analyzed by systematic review focuses on the methodology, findings, different journal articles and interpretation of each reviewed. Soil productivity and health may be more sustainable with the integrated application of cattle manure and inorganic fertilizers than with the use of inorganic fertilizers alone. Organic fertilizer has beneficial effects including the increases of hydraulic conductivity, raising the water holding capacity, changes the soil pH where increases or decreases in the pH, depending on the soil type and characteristics of organic fertilizer, elevates the soil aggregation and water infiltration and reduces the frequency of plant diseases. Using of animal manure such as cattle manure has positively beneficial effects on vegetative growth, yield and tuber quality. Therefore, combined application of mineral NPK and cattle manure is essential to sustain high yields, better tuber quality and more profit and to improve soil.