Studies in crop variation: VI. Experiments on the response of the potato to potash and nitrogen

The development is recorded of the series of experiments with potatoes at Rothamsted during 1925–27, designed to examine the quantitative response of yield to varying quantities of nitrogenous and potassic manures, and to test the relative value with this crop of different sources of potash. While rather precise comparisons were obtained on the qualitative question by means of Latin squares in 1925–26, the reality of the depression ascribable to chloride could not be demonstrated in these years, but became clearly apparent when in the following year, the qualitative experiment was merged with the quantitative one. In the earlier quantitative experiments, although satisfactory responses were obtained, the precision of the results left much to be desired, since only four replicates could be used. When by merging the experiments this was increased to nine replicates, much smaller responses were clearly measurable. The large and complex type of experiment finally adopted thus supplied more precise information on both heads than could previously be obtained, and in addition to a more thorough exploration of the different combinations possible.