Soil losses due to potato harvesting: a case study in western Turkey

Parlak M., Blanco-Canqui H.

SOIL USE AND MANAGEMENT, vol.31, no.4, pp.525-527, 2015 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 31 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Doi Number: 10.1111/sum.12225
  • Journal Name: SOIL USE AND MANAGEMENT
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.525-527
  • Keywords: Soil loss, potato, soil erosion, harvesting, soil degradation, SUGAR-BEET
  • Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Harvesting of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) may cause soil losses, but the magnitude of such losses has not been widely documented. We quantified the amount of soil lost with the mechanical harvesting of potatoes in 39 fields in western Turkey in 2013. The amount of soil lost was 1.81Mg/ha/harvest and increased with increased gravimetric water content and plant density. The cost to replace nutrients lost with soil was about US$3 per hectare. Overall, soil loss due to potato harvesting is an important component of total erosion in the study region.