Irrigation water for potato production is becoming an issue in most irrigated production regions. Producing potatoes under drip irrigation has proven to reduce irrigation water use. However, tuber productivity has to increase under drip irrigation to offset the initial cost of installing the drip system. Ambient aeration of drip irrigation water may improve tuber yield and quality. A field study was conducted at Colorado State University’s San Luis Valley Research Center, Colorado, USA, to evaluate the effect of ambient air injection of subsurface drip irrigation water on leaf growth and tuber performance of potato cultivar Rio Grande Russet. Treatments included aerated and non-aerated drip irrigated plots that were randomly assigned within four replicated blocks. The Mazzei Venturi system was inserted in the main drip line to inject ambient air into drip tapes that supplied aerated water to the air injected treatment plots. Plants that received aerated drip irrigation water produced higher total tuber yield and increased the yield of large marketable size (> 170 g and > 285 g) tubers compared to plants grown under non-aerated drip irrigation water. The yield increases were, 8%, 19%, and 5%, for total, > 170 g, and > 285 g tuber yield, respectively. Early tuber bulking was observed, Leaf Area Index increased, and root mass production increased in plants that received aerated drip irrigation water compared to plants that received non-aerated irrigation water. Tuber external defects (growth cracks, knobs, and misshapes) were reduced by 9.2% in tubers produced under aerated drip irrigation water. Data from this study clearly indicate that ambient air injection of subsurface drip irrigation water can improve potato productivity and tuber quality. AJPR-D-20–00030R1.

中文翻译：

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地下滴灌水的空气注入提高了马铃薯块茎的产量和品质

在大多数灌溉产区，用于马铃薯生产的灌溉水已成为一个问题。在滴灌条件下生产马铃薯已被证明可以减少灌溉用水。但是，在滴灌条件下必须提高块茎生产力，以抵消安装滴灌系统的初始成本。滴灌水的环境通气可以提高块茎的产量和质量。在美国科罗拉多州科罗拉多州立大学的圣路易斯谷研究中心进行了田野研究，以评估地下注入滴灌水的空气注入对马铃薯品种Rio Grande Russet叶片生长和块茎性能的影响。处理方法包括在四个重复块中随机分配的充气和非充气滴灌地块。将Mazzei Venturi系统插入主滴水管线中，以将环境空气注入滴灌带中，这些滴灌带将充气水提供给了注入空气的处理区。与在非充气滴灌水中生长的植物相比，接受充气滴灌水的植物产生的块茎总产量更高，并且可出售的大型块茎（> 170 g和> 285 g）的块茎产量更高。块茎总产量分别> 170 g和> 285 g，增产分别为8％，19％和5％。与未充气灌溉水相比，加气滴灌水的植物早期出现块茎膨大，叶面积指数增加，根系产量增加。在充气滴灌水条件下生产的块茎中，块茎的外部缺陷（生长裂缝，凸起和变形）减少了9.2％。这项研究的数据清楚地表明，环境空气注入地下滴灌水可以提高马铃薯的生产率和块茎质量。AJPR-D-20–00030R1。