Role of combined fertilizer application on soil fertility, growth and yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.): A review

The combined fertilizer application is a strategy that combines both organic and inorganic plant nutrients to achieve higher crop productivity, prevent soil degradation and thereby aid encounter future food supply needs. The main objective of this paper is to review the role of combined fertilizer application on soil fertility, growth and yield of potato. This paper is done by assessing various kinds of published and unpublished materials and relevant information from different literature sources like libraries, research report, journals, books and Internet center. It has integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizer affects the tuber yield and its attributing characters like an average number of tuber/hills, average tuber weight/hill, marketable tuber number and total dry matter yield. The use of farmyard manure and vermicompost along with inorganic fertilizers is superior to the application of either farmyard manure or vermicompost alone. Application of organic manure along with inorganic fertilizer increased organic carbon, available P and K. But the application of inorganic fertilizer alone had no significant effect on the fertility status of the soil. The reports revealed that integrated use of organic manure and reduced rates of inorganic fertilizer significantly improved potato productivity and improved the fertility status of the soil and could save inorganic fertilizer for sustainable potato production in potato growing areas.