Effect of potassium sources on potato tuber yield and chip quality

ABSTRACT Many potato producers for fry industry changed from the use of potassium chloride to potassium sulfate, as there is a concept that the use of this source improves tuber quality. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of these two potassium sources on yield, specific gravity and chip color of potato chipping cultivars. The experiment was carried out on a Dystrophic Red Latosol, in Canoinhas, Brazil, in spring season 2016. Treatments consisted of two potato cultivars, BRSIPR Bel and Atlantic, and two sources of potassium, chloride and sulfate, applied in the furrow at the planting time, in rates based on soil analysis. Experimental design was a randomized complete block in a split-plot arrangement with four replications. Main plots were cultivars and subplots potassium sources. 100 days after planting each sub-plot was evaluated for yield, specific gravity and chip color. There was no significant effect of potassium source on yield components, specific gravity and chip color of BRSIPR Bel and Atlantic.