The Response of Several Vegetables to Applied Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium on a Sphagnum Peat Soil

Abstract

Abstract The N, P and K requirements of a strongly acid sphagnum peat soil were determined for several vegetable crops over a 4‐year period. Six rates of each nutrient ranging from deficiency to excess were applied in a randomized block experiment designed to measure main effects and selected interactions. The analyses of variance indicated that at practical rates of application, interactions were negligible, and the curves of best fit, derived by polynomial regression analyses, characterized the scatter diagrams closely. Heavy rates of N were necessary for all crops, and there was little indication of reduced requirements at the end of 4 years. Initially, large responses were obtained from small amounts of P. There was some effect from K but less than that generally reported for other organic soils.