Improved plant yield of potato through exogenously applied potassium fertilizer sources and biofertilizer

Abstract

Excessive usage of chemical fertilizers has detrimental effects on the environment and the safety of food. Conversely, utilizing organic fertilizers such as sage offers several advantages, including cost-effectiveness, soil enhancement, and promotion of root development. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of different potassium fertilizer sources and biofertilizers (specifically Bacillus cereus (MBc)) on potato plants. The experiment employed a split-plot design with three replicates, where the main plot factor was MBc (with and without), and the subplot factor was the sources of potassium fertilizer (control without K fertilizer, 100% Feldspar (FD), 100% Filter cake (FC), 75% FD + 25% FC, 25% FD + 75% FC, and 50% FD + 50% FC). The purpose was to examine the growth response of potato plants to these treatments. The results indicated that all treatments increased plant height, stem count, and tuber dry matter compared to the control. Furthermore, all treatments exhibited a higher uptake of macronutrients (N, P, and K) compared to the control. Notably, the plants treated with 100FC combined with MBc showed a significant 104.74% increase in total tuber weight compared to the control treatment. Additionally, the addition of 100FC with MBc significantly enhanced the availability of N, P, and K by 73.13%, 110.33%, and 51.88% respectively, compared to the control treatment. Apart from the biofertilizers, the individual application of FC and its combination with FD also demonstrated positive effects on soil fertility, potato growth, and yield.

Keywords: Feldspar; Filter cake; Macronutrients available; Macronutrients uptake; Total tuber weight.

Fig. 1

Weather conditions [Maximum temperature, Minimum temperature, and Relative humidity] during the growing seasons [2021/2022 (A) and 2022/2023 (B)] of Potato cultivation

Fig. 2

The integrated effect of feldspar (FD), Filter cake (FC) treatments and their combinations with biofertilizer on total tuber weight (ton ha^− 1) of potato in season 2021/2022 (A), total tuber weight (ton ha^− 1) of potato in season 2022/2023 (B). Where MBc(-) = Without biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); MBc(+) = With biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); Control = Non-fertilizer; 100FD = 100% Feldspar; 100FC = 100% Filer Cake; 75FD + 25FC = 75% Feldspar + 25% Filer Cake; 25FD + 75FC = 25% Feldspar + 75% Filer Cake; 50FD + 50FC = 50% Feldspar + 50% Filer Cake. The values shown in figure are means three replicates. Means followed by the same letters are non-significantly different (p ≤ 0.05)

Fig. 3

The integrated effect of feldspar (FD), Filter cake (FC) treatments and their combinations with biofertilizer on soil reaction pH (A), Electrical conductivity (B), organic matter (OM) (C), available nitrogen (D), available phosphorus (E), and available potassium (F) (mg kg^− 1) after successive season 2021/2022. Where MBc(-) = Without biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); MBc(+) = With biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); Control = Non-fertilizer; 100FD = 100% Feldspar; 100FC = 100% Filer Cake; 75FD + 25FC = 75% Feldspar + 25% Filer Cake; 25FD + 75FC = 25% Feldspar + 75% Filer Cake; 50FD + 50FC = 50% Feldspar + 50% Filer Cake. The values shown in figure are means three replicates. Means followed by the same letters are non-significantly different (p ≤ 0.05)

Fig. 4

The integrated effect of feldspar (FD), Filter cake (FC) treatments and their combinations with biofertilizer on soil reaction pH (A), Electrical conductivity EC (B), organic matter (OM) (C), available nitrogen (D), available phosphorus (E), and available potassium (F) (mg kg^− 1) after successive season 2022/2023. Where MBc(-) = Without biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); MBc(+) = With biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); Control = Non-fertilizer; 100FD = 100% Feldspar; 100FC = 100% Filer Cake; 75FD + 25FC = 75% Feldspar + 25% Filer Cake; 25FD + 75FC = 25% Feldspar + 75% Filer Cake; 50FD + 50FC = 50% Feldspar + 50% Filer Cake. The values shown in figure are means three replicates. Means followed by the same letters are non-significantly different (p ≤ 0.05)

Fig. 5

Principal component analysis (PCA) between soil properties and potato traits. Where MBc(-) = Without biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); MBc(+) = With biofertilizer (Bacillus cereus); Control = Non-fertilizer; 100FD = 100% Feldspar; 100FC = 100% Filer Cake; 75FD + 25FC = 75% Feldspar + 25% Filer Cake; 25FD + 75FC = 25% Feldspar + 75% Filer Cake; 50FD + 50FC = 50% Feldspar + 50% Filer Cake; pH = pH value; Ec.= Soil electrical conductivity; OM = organic matter; Available-N = Available Nitrogen; Available-P = Available Phosphor; Available-K = Available Potassium; Uptake-N = Nitrogen uptake;Uptake-P = Phosphor uptake; Uptake-K = Potassium uptake; PH = Plant height; NS = No of stem; DM = Dry matter of tuber; WLT = Large Tuber weight; WMT = Medium Tuber weight; WST = Small Tuber weight; TWT = on total tuber weight