Six third-party replicated small plot research trials were carried out over three growing seasons (2021, 2022, 2023) to test the effect of different sources of calcium on chipping potato yield, quality and storability.
Click on the sheet on the right to view and download the results!
During bulking, calcium is necessary to maintain good cell structure and cell wall strength as the cells expand and the tubers grow. Stronger cell structure helps minimize bruise and infection by pectolytic bacteria thereby reducing waste and increasing payable yield at harvest. Optimal calcium in the foliage and in the tubers helps to create a strong physical barrier to pathogen infection and neutralizes enzymes that the pathogens use to break down and feed on potato plant cells. Also, calcium signals drought from the roots to the leaves causing stomata to close and thus reducing transpiration and helping protect the crop during potential drought situations. Nitrogen during bulking needs to be constant, without spikes and dips to ensure tuber growth and proper shape. YaraLiva® supplies soluble calcium and predictable nitrate-nitrogen during the bulking season. YaraLiva® calcium nitrate products supply soluble calcium that can help reduce everyday stress that your crop encounters and predictable efficient nitrate-nitrogen during the bulking season.
Calcium is key throughout the plant's life, right through to harvest. Roots need calcium for growth and a consistent supply is directly related to early fruit growth, healthy cell division, and the overall strength and health of fruits and vegetables. Alongside potassium, nitrogen is the plant nutrient required in greatest quantities. Nitrogen is key for chlorophyll production and plays a major role in cell division, growth of new tissues and root system development.
The preferred form of nitrogen for plant uptake is nitrate, and plants can be susceptible to ammonium-nitrogen toxicity especially in cool wet soils. Higher plants, including many fruit and vegetable species, are especially sensitive to ammonium. Nitrogen sources in the form of urea or ammonium take time to convert to nitrate in the soil, leaving plants vulnerable. With fully soluble calcium and nitrate-nitrogen, YaraLiva products guarantee these critical nutrients are quickly and efficiently available to crops.
In this trial, the Yara program including YaraLiva Calcium Nitrate yielded additional 95 CTW/acre, with a return on investment of $ 581/ac. The nitrogen use efficiency improved by 32% compared to the grower's standard program.
YaraLiva + boron treatment yielded an additional 42 CTW/acre, with a return on investment of $ 315/ac. The nitrogen use efficiency improved by 18% compared to the grower's standard program.
YaraLiva TROPICOTE treatment yielded an additional 24 CTW/acre, with a return on investment of $180/ac. The nitrogen use efficiency improved by 8% compared to the grower's standard program.
Seed-grown potatoes treated with YaraLiva CN-9 increased marketable yield, as shown by this trial.
Calcium is essential for proper plant growth and plays an important role in potato storage and quality. Inadequate availability of calcium can lead to increased soft rot, internal brown spot, hollow heart and bruising. Tuber size and number are also affected by calcium deficiency. Research shows that tuber calcium is increased by placing soluble Ca near tubers and stolons during bulking. The result is improved potato quality and storability.
Trials on the Yara Columbia Basin Incubator Farm show that potatoes from the Yara TopPotato program which includes calcium nitrate have better storage quality.
To analyze the impact of cold storage on fry color and quality, potatoes from the Incubator Farm for the processing market were put in cold storage for 60 days at Washington State University’s Post-Harvest Physiology Lab. Fries from the Yara TopPotato treatment (27.1) were lighter in color and were within acceptable range (25+), whereas fries from the baseline program (23.9) were not.
Additionally, at 6 months in the grower’s storage, fry color analysis by AgWorld Support Systems showed higher proportion of fries at the lightest color (0) in the TopPotato treatment compared to the baseline program.
When pulling potatoes out of bulk grower, there were higher usable %, more 6 oz potatoes, fewer culls, and higher % of bruise-free tubers in the Yara TopPotato Program compared to the baseline program.
Learn more about the Columbia Basin Incubator Farm.
Season after season, growers are faced with a variety of environmental stresses that are simply out of the industries' control. While nature and weather will take its course, with YaraLiva Calcium Nitrate growers can give their plants and trees the strength needed to protect against environmental stresses such as heat, drought, salinity and excessive sodium.
Heat stress damages plants by what is called “oxidative stress” which is due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the oxide ion (O2-). These ROS compounds damage plant membranes, proteins, RNA and DNA. Calcium application helps reduce the formation of these two key ROS species and the damage from heat stress.
Biotron studies from Wisconsin University show that plants with adequate calcium produced 1.0 kg of tubers/plant, while plants without adequate Ca were heat-stressed and produced 0.7 kg of tubers/plant, a yield reduction of 30%.
Crops suffering from water stress are damaged by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the oxide ion (O2-) that form in response to stress. These ROS compounds damage plant membranes, proteins, RNA and DNA. Calcium reduces the concentration and activity of these ROS compounds and thereby reduces the damage from water stress.
Sodium suppresses root growth and calcium helps crop roots overcome the sodium damage. Increasing calcium supply increased root growth at both low and high sodium concentrations.
Research shows that applying calcium on potatoes can significantly reduce the incidence of internal brown spot (IBS).
| Calcium applied | Peel calcium | IBS |
| Lbs Ca/ac | % | % |
| 0 | 0.11 | 60 |
| 75 | 0.13 | 37 |
| 225 | 0.15 | 17 |
Did you know YaraLiva products have a significantly low carbon footprint? Learn more.
