Effect of Tuber Soaking Types and Fertilization Rates on Growth and Productivity of Potato

To address the current challenge of rising fertilizer costs and limited expansion of cultivated areas in Egypt, a field experiment was conducted for two successive seasons (2021 and 2022) to evaluate the effect of different tuber soaking techniques before planting and various rates of NPK recommended doses on potato growth and quality attributes. A split plot design with complete randomized blocks, consisting of 15 treatments; the soaking types included no soaking, soaking in normal water, and soaking in magnetized water, while the fertilization rates comprised 100% NPK of the recommended dose, fulvic acid+ 75% NPK from the recommended dose, fulvic acid+ 50% NPK of the recommended dose, biochar+ 75% NPK from the recommended dose, and biochar+ 50% NPK from the recommended dose. The results indicated that soaking tubers in magnetized water before planting yielded the highest values in terms of vegetative growth parameters, chlorophyll contents, ion percentage, potato yield, and quality. Furthermore, plants fertilized with 100% NPK of the recommended dose exhibited the maximum vegetative growth and yield. Likewise, the treatment involving fulvic acid+ 75% NPK showed the maximum values in terms of chlorophyll contents, nutrients percentage, and tuber quality. Based on these findings, it is recommended to soak tubers in magnetized water before planting and fertilize the plants with fulvic acid+ 75% NPK of the recommended dose. This approach can help reduce production costs by 25% while still achieving high potato yield and quality.