Uptake, Translocation, and Yield Assessment of Ca, K, S, and Fe in Three Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivars (Agria, Désirée, and Red Lady) Grown Under Varying Soil Types

Potato (<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L.) is the world's fourth most important food crop and is considered a staple food. Nutrient absorption in potato plants is influenced by different factors such as soil properties (namely mineral element composition). This study aimed to assess Ca, K, S, and Fe dynamics in three potato cultivars (Agria, Désirée, and Red Lady) grown across different soil types. As such, soil analyses were carried out before and after cultivation, revealing different variations in Ca, K, S, and Fe content. The results demonstrated that mineral distribution in the different plant organs (leaves, stems, roots, and tubers) showed distinct patterns, with Ca accumulating preferentially in leaves, K in stems, S in roots, and Fe in leaves. Mobilization efficiency was also evaluated and followed a specific pattern across all cultivars and soil types: K > S > Fe > Ca, reflecting the mineral translocation efficiency of these mineral elements within plant tissues to tuber. No significant differences were observed in tuber weight, or minimum and maximum diameter, indicating that these quality parameters were not influenced by the soil type. Fresh weight of tuber biomass assessment showed variability among the different cultivars and soil types. Principal component analysis showed that Ca content is associated with productivity parameters as well as K, contributing to tuber yield. Overall, cultivar-based variations in mineral uptake patterns were identified, suggesting that both genetic and environmental factors play an important role in mineral element absorption and translocation efficiency. This study highlights the importance of understanding mineral element dynamics in <i>S. tuberosum</i> L. cultivation, in order to optimize tuber yield and quality.