Systems of mineral and organic fertilizer application in vegetable crop rotations

Exemplary fertilizer systems in vegetable crop rotations, under irrigation and non-irrigated conditions, in grain-vegetable and grain-potato crop rotations, according to data from A.I. Stolyarov (Kuban State Agrarian University and Krasnodar Research Institute of Vegetable and Potato Growing), are presented in tables 195–198. These schemes show the rates of basal fertilizer, fertilizer applied at sowing, and top dressing, taking into account soil and climatic conditions and the nutritional requirements of the cultivated crops. Depending on the preceding crop and its fertilization, the fertilizer rates for the current crop are adjusted.

Basal fertilizer is applied in the autumn for winter ploughing. At the same time, organic fertilizer and half or 2/3 of the rate of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied. Nitrogen fertilizers are best applied in the spring and as top dressing.

Basal Sowing/ At sowing At planting Top dressing Total

Crop fertilizer (pre-sowing) (planting) fertilizer

Perennial grasses N40P60K40 – – – N40P60K40 2 Perennial grasses – – – P30K30 P30K30 3 Late white cabbage P60K50 N20P20K20 N20P20K20 N80P20K20 N120P120K100 4 Tomato (direct-seeded) P60K40 N60P30K30 – N60P30K30 N120P120K100 5 Cucumber (field crop) Manure N50P20K20 – N40P20K20 Manure 30 30 t/ha t/ha +

+P50K50 N90P90K90 6 Onion, garlic P40K40 N40P20K20 – N40P20K20 N80P80K80 7 Potato spring Humus N60P20K20 – N30P20K20 Humus planting 40 t/ha + 40 t/ha +

P50K50 N90P90K90 8 Root crops P40K40 N50P20K20 – N30P20K20 N80P80K80 9 Early white cabbage P50K50 – – N90P30K30 N120P100K100 + green crops 10 Tomato P60K50 N60P30K30 – N60P30K30 N120P120K100

Table 196 – Exemplary fertilizer system in a grain-vegetable crop rotation without irrigation No. Crop Basal fertilizer Pre-sowing fertilizer Top dressing Total

 1 Perennial grasses N40P60K40 – – N40P60K40 2 Perennial grasses – – P30K30 P30K30 3 Winter wheat – P30K30 N40 N40P30K30 4 Tomato N60P60K60 N30P30K30 – N90P90K90 5 Vegetable corn N50P50K50 N30P30K30 – N80P80K80 Manure 30t/ha Manure 30t/ha + 6 Winter wheat +N60Р70К60 – N30 N90P70K60 7 Tomato N60P60K60 N30P30K30 – N90P90K90 8 Vegetable pea N50P50K50 – – N50P50K50 9 Winter wheat N60P70K60 – N30 N90P70K60 Manure 40t/ha Manure 40t/ha 10 Tomato +N60P60K60 N30P30K30 – +N90P90K90 11 Winter cereals N60P70K60 – N30 N90P70K60

Table 197 – Exemplary fertilizer system in a vegetable crop rotation for the central and western zones of the Krasnodar Territory No. Crop Basal fertilizer Pre-sowing (pre-planting) At sowing (planting) Top dressing Total

 1 Perennial grasses N40P60K40 – – – N40P60K40 2 Perennial grasses – – – P30K30 P30K30 Tomato (transplant 3 P50K50 – N40P20K20 N40P20K30 N80P100K100 crop) 4 Cucumber P40K40 N50P20K20 – N40P30K30 N90P90K90 5 Onion, garlic P50K50 N50P20K20 – N30P10K10 N80P80K80 6 Tomato P60K50 N60P30K30 – N60P30K20 N120P120K100 Mid-late, late white Manure Manure 50 t/ha 7 P30K30 N20P10K10 N70P20K20 cabbage 50 t/ha + + P30K30 N90P90K90 8 Root crops P30K30 N40P10K10 – N20P20K20 N60P60K60 Humus Humus 40 9 Tomato 40 t/ha N50P30K30 – N40P20K20 t/ha + + P40K40 N90P90K90 10 Early white cabbage P50K50 – N20P20K20 N70P20K20 N90P90K90

Before sowing, fertilizers are applied for late-sown crops during pre-sowing cultivation in order to enhance plant nutrition in the first half of the growing season. As fertilizer applied at sowing to improve plant nutrition at the beginning of growth, ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium chloride, or complex fertilizers are applied.

Top dressing is used to enhance the nutrition of vegetable crops. It is standard practice to apply two top dressings of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to vegetable crops, scheduling them for the most critical stages of yield formation. The effectiveness of top dressing increases with irrigation. In crop rotations without irrigation, in areas with insufficient humidity, top dressing is not recommended. In this case, the fertilizer application rate is distributed between the primary (autumn) and pre-sowing (early spring) application. Fertilizers must be incorporated to a sufficient depth into the moist soil layer.

Table 198– Example of a fertilization system in a grain-potato crop rotation in the foothill zone Crop Primary fertilizer Pre-sowing (pre-planting) At planting (transplanting) Top dressing Total fertilizer

 1 Perennial grasses N40P60K40 – – – N40P60K40 2 Perennial grasses – – – P30K30 P30K30 3 Winter wheat N40P30K40 – P30 N30 N70P60K40 4 Spring-planted potato P40K40 N50P20K20 – N40P30K30 N90P90K90 5 Corn for silage N60P60K60 – N30P30 – N90P90K60 6 Winter wheat N60P60K60 – – N30 N90P60K60 7 Spring-planted potato Manure N40P20K20 – N50P20K20 Manure 60t/ha 60t/ha + + N90P90K90 P50K50 8 Row crops N60P60K60 – – N20P20K20 N80P80K80 9 Spring cereals N40P40K40 – – – N40P40K40 10 Spring-planted potato P60K60 N60P20K20 – N40P20K20 N100P100K100

In the subtropical zone, favorable climatic conditions allow for year-round vegetable cultivation. Intensive land use necessitates repeated fertilizer application. Here, monitoring the effect of fertilizers on the yield and quality of the produce obtained is particularly important.

Fertilizer application rates for vegetable crops in the subtropical zone are shown in Table 199 (Vendilo G.G., Mikanaev T.A., Petrichenko V.N. et al., 1986).

Table 199 – Fertilizer doses for vegetable crops on yellow-podzolic soils Crop Ploughing Harrowing 1st top dressing 2nd top dressing Total

 Cabbage early N90P45K45 N45P25K25 N40P20K20 – N180P90K90 medium N60P45K45 N30P25K25 N30P20K20 – N120P90K90 overwintering N60P45K45 N40P25K25 N40P20K25 N40K25 N180P90K120 Cauliflower summer N60P45K45 N60P25K25 N60P20K20 – N180P90K90 overwintering N30P45K45 N30P25K25 N50P20K25 N50K25 N180P90K120 Cucumber, zucchini N60P45K60 N45P25K30 N30P20K30 – N135P90K120 Tomato early cultivars N60P60K60 N30P30K30 N30P30K30 – N120P120K120 late cultivars N60P45K45 N30P25K25 N30P20K20 – N120P90K90 Pepper, eggplant N60P45K60 N45P25K45 N30P20K30 – N135P90K135 Beet, carrot N30P30K30 N45P30K30 N45P30K30 – N120P90K90 Radish – N45P45K45 N45P45K45 – N90P90K90 Small radish – N60P45K60 – – N60P45K60

For overwintering vegetable crops, the fertilizer dose for spring top dressing is increased by 10–15% at the expense of the dose applied before ploughing. For crops grown during the spring-summer period, mineral fertilizers are applied in February-March, and for the autumn-winter period, in August-September. 50% of the fertilizer application rate is applied before ploughing, 25% in furrows before planting, and 25% in top dressings. The use of organic fertilizers is of great importance.