Enhancing Potato Productivity and Nutritional Status Under Drought Stress: The Role of Humic Acid in Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Koheal, Hany Kamal; Eldamarawy, Yasser; El-Azab, Mona; Essa, Intsar; Aboud, Fatma S.

doi:10.21608/agro.2025.370370.1652

Enhancing Potato Productivity and Nutritional Status Under Drought Stress: The Role of Humic Acid in Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ National Research Centre, Water Relations and Field Irrigation Department

² Soils and Water Use Dept., National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

³ Plant Nutrition Dept., National Research Centre

⁴ Closed Agricultural Methods Research Dept. Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate (CLAC). Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/agro.2025.370370.1652

Abstract

A field experiment conducted over two winter growing seasons aimed to assess the nutritional status of potato plants using the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) method and to evaluate the effects of humic acid treatments and water stress on their production in sandy soil. The results indicated that water-stressed plants exhibited significantly reduced tuber weight, length, diameter, and overall yield compared to unstressed plants. The application of humic acid at rates of 60 and 120 kg ha⁻¹ generally improved tuber characteristics and yield in both stressed and unstressed conditions, while it did not significantly affect protein content but increased starch content. Since the norms for potato plants were N/P, P/N, and K/P, the DRIS approach was utilized to ascertain them. The Nutrient Balance Index (NBI) is a computed statistic that represents the overall nutrient balance inside the plant. In general, a favorable nutritional balance is indicated by a positive NBI. In comparison to unstressed plants, water-stressed plants typically showed more extreme values for nutritional indices. The study suggests that using humic acid as a soil supplement could enhance potato yield and nutritional status in water-limited environments, supporting sustainable agricultural practices.

Keywords