The Korean Journal of Crop Science ISSN:0252-9777(Print) 2287-8432(Online) 한국작물학회지

Storage root yield of sweetpotato was decreasing owing to continuous sweetpotato cropping, debasement of soil physical properties, increasing incidence of pest and disease. This study was conducted to evaluate the changes in physicochemical properties of the soil owing to subsoiling (subsoiling to 50 cm depth), and the effect on growth and yield of sweetpotato. The subsoiling treatments included subsoiling treated every year for two years, subsoiling in the first year, and no subsoiling control. The soil physical properties measured were bulk density, hardness, porosity, three phase. Bulk density, porosity, soild (%) of three phase were improved by subsoiling in topsoil and subsoil. Main vine length and vine yield in subsoiling soil were higher than those in no subsoiling soil, but those were not significantly different. Yield of marketable storage root in subsoiling soils treated every year for two years and treated in the first year was more increased 17% and 20% than no subsoiling soil, respectively. The number of marketable storage root per plant was also higher in subsoiling soils than no subsoiling soil, but it was not significantly different. Soluble solid contents and total free sugar contents of storage root of sweetpotato were not significantly different among the treatments. These results show that improving soil physical properties by subsoiling could promote high yield of marketable storage root in continuous sweetpotato cropping field.