Fertilize potatoes sustainably - the variety makes the difference

Cultivation trial with the edible variety Milva ( left ) and the starch variety Avamond ( right ) in comparison Photo: Christin Meyer Press release: Fertilizing potatoes sustainably - the variety makes the difference Thesis by Göttingen University student on nitrogen fertilization receives award The Förderungsgemeinschaft der Kartoffelwirtschaft e. V. (Association for the Promotion of the Potato Industry) has honored a thesis that was completed at the University of Göttingen. As part of her Master's thesis at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Christin Meyer investigated how reduced nitrogen fertilization affects the yield, quality and nitrogen use efficiency of different potato varieties. The results show that a variety-specific reduction in the nitrogen supply has no negative impact on yield or quality. Less fertilization can also lead to more efficient nitrogen use by the plants in certain varieties. In contrast, an increased nitrogen supply reduces the dry matter and starch content in the tubers of the Milva edible variety, which reduces their quality. This effect does not occur with the starch varieties Avamond and Eurotonda.