ARS | Publication request: Enhancing Potato System Sustainability: Assessing the Economic Potential of Alternative Systems

Submitted to: Northeast Potato Technology Forum Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 11, 2008
Publication Date: March 12, 2008
Citation: Halloran, J.M., Honeycutt, C.W., Griffin, T.S., Larkin, R.P., Olanya, O.M., He, Z. 2008. Enhancing Potato System Sustainability: Assessing the Economic Potential of Alternative Systems. Northeast Potato Technology Forum Abstracts. CD-ROM.

Technical Abstract: Five different potato cropping systems, designed to address specific management goals of soil conservation (SC), soil improvement (SI), disease suppression (DS), a standard rotation control of barley-potato (BP) and non-rotation control of continuous potatoes (CP), were evaluated for their economic potential. The systems were compared under irrigated and rainfed conditions. The systems varied by length of the rotation from a two year rotation of Barley potato to three year rotations found in the SI, SC and DS systems. In addition, the number of marketable crops in each rotation varied among systems. Marketable yields over two years varied widely by system and water treatment. Overall the BP system was most consistent in generating positive revenues. This was primarily due to the presence of a marketable crop in each phase of the rotation sequence. The DS system showed generated returns comparable to the BP system with only one marketable crop due to increased yields and disease reduction. The SI system showed the greatest losses of any system. However, this was due to the high costs of the compost amendment in each phase of the rotation sequence. In addition the SI system showed large yield increases relative to the BP rotation, especially under rainfed conditions. It is possible that the SI system could reduce production risk for producers who lack irrigation.