Impact of mechanical planting depth and density on agronomic parameters of organic potato Solanum tuberosum L.

Abstract: Demand for organic produce is expected to increase due to increasing concern in urban society about food quality. However, crop management options are extremely limited in an organic system, often leading to reduced yields. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different mechanical planting densities (3.05 and 3.91 plant/m²) and depths (0.07 and 0.12 m) on the agronomic parameters under organic culture. Field study was conducted at the Higher Institute of Agronomy of Chott Meriem, Tunisia from February to June. The results indicate that different treatment combinations could affect the vigor and growth of the plant, size of tubers and weight of fresh and dry matter of different plant organs, as well as the final yield. Moreover, it was shown that planting in-row spacing of 0.41 m and depth of 0.12 m improved the growth parameters of the plant. This study showed that there is a relationship between the number of plants per square meter and the crop yield. Indeed, yields with the density of 3.91plant/m² was higher than that of 3.05 plant/m² (13.75 and 10.83 t/ha, respectively).