Water and nutrient management to narrow the yield gap of potato grown in a Mediterranean climate

Water and nutrient management to narrow the yield gap of potato grown in a Mediterranean climate | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Water and nutrient management to narrow the yield gap of potato grown in a Mediterranean climate Behnam Rezaie, Farzad Hosseinpanahi, Adel Siosemardeh, Gerrit Hoogenboom This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8311221/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Potato is a globally important crop, and its cultivation is particularly vital in Iran. However, the area under potato cultivation in Iran has declined in recent years, making yield improvement essential to sustain production and meet food demand. This study aimed to assess the potato yield gap caused by limiting factors in the Dehgolan Plain and to identify effective management strategies for increasing yield with optimal resource use. The research included two parts: first, determining actual on-farm yields through surveys of 50 farmers and field observations; second, evaluating the yield gap caused by water and nutrient limitations via a two-year field experiment (2021–2022). Various treatments combining conventional management, soil-test-based fertilization, organic manure, irrigation at 80% field capacity, and sulfur application were tested. Yield, economic benefits, and productivity indices were measured to assess the cost-effectiveness of closing the yield gap. Results indicated a yield gap of approximately 13 t.ha⁻¹ in both years. Maximum yields reached 37 t.ha⁻¹ in 2021 under CM + W (common management + irrigation at 80% FC) treatment, and 50 t.ha⁻¹ in 2022 under ST + M + W + S 1000 (NPK Fertilizing based on soil test + chicken manure + irrigation at 80% FC + 1000 kg.ha − 1 sulfur). Agronomic efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer was highest with 236–284 kg.kg⁻¹, while phosphorus partial factor productivity peaked at 523–661 kg.kg⁻¹. The findings demonstrate that nutrient management guided by soil tests, coupled with adequate irrigation, substantially enhances potato yield. Maintaining balanced nutrient supply and avoiding drought stress during tuber bulking are key for maximizing production. Overall, this study highlights the importance of integrated water and nutrient management to narrow the potato yield gap, improve resource use efficiency, and optimize production costs in the Dehgolan plain. Potatoes’ Potential yield Potatoes’ Actual yield Attainable yield Partial Factor Productivity Agronomic Efficiency Economic benefit Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8311221","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":571286636,"identity":"9d2bd8ce-394a-4f40-b9f3-5c16318f57fa","order_by":0,"name":"Behnam Rezaie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Kurdistan","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Behnam","middleName":"","lastName":"Rezaie","suffix":""},{"id":571286637,"identity":"73453be6-2357-4fb3-9498-badaf8b877a1","order_by":1,"name":"Farzad 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climate","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Potatoes’ Potential yield, Potatoes’ Actual yield, Attainable yield, Partial Factor Productivity, Agronomic Efficiency, Economic benefit","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8311221/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8311221/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePotato is a globally important crop, and its cultivation is particularly vital in Iran. However, the area under potato cultivation in Iran has declined in recent years, making yield improvement essential to sustain production and meet food demand. This study aimed to assess the potato yield gap caused by limiting factors in the Dehgolan Plain and to identify effective management strategies for increasing yield with optimal resource use. The research included two parts: first, determining actual on-farm yields through surveys of 50 farmers and field observations; second, evaluating the yield gap caused by water and nutrient limitations via a two-year field experiment (2021\u0026ndash;2022). Various treatments combining conventional management, soil-test-based fertilization, organic manure, irrigation at 80% field capacity, and sulfur application were tested. Yield, economic benefits, and productivity indices were measured to assess the cost-effectiveness of closing the yield gap. Results indicated a yield gap of approximately 13 t.ha⁻\u0026sup1; in both years. Maximum yields reached 37 t.ha⁻\u0026sup1; in 2021 under CM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;W (common management\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;irrigation at 80% FC) treatment, and 50 t.ha⁻\u0026sup1; in 2022 under ST\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;M\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;W\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;S\u003csub\u003e1000\u003c/sub\u003e (NPK Fertilizing based on soil test\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;chicken manure\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;irrigation at 80% FC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;1000 kg.ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e sulfur). Agronomic efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer was highest with 236\u0026ndash;284 kg.kg⁻\u0026sup1;, while phosphorus partial factor productivity peaked at 523\u0026ndash;661 kg.kg⁻\u0026sup1;. The findings demonstrate that nutrient management guided by soil tests, coupled with adequate irrigation, substantially enhances potato yield. Maintaining balanced nutrient supply and avoiding drought stress during tuber bulking are key for maximizing production. Overall, this study highlights the importance of integrated water and nutrient management to narrow the potato yield gap, improve resource use efficiency, and optimize production costs in the Dehgolan plain.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Water and nutrient management to narrow the yield gap of potato grown in a Mediterranean climate","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-12 05:19:32","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8311221/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f87faceb-0f48-4eba-b5ea-05c05eaa58a5","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 12th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-28T21:39:09+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-12 05:19:32","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8311221","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8311221","identity":"rs-8311221","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}