Improving yield and mineral nutrient concentration of potato tubers through cover cropping

Overall, potatoes grown after cover crops produced 13-25% more tubers compared to NCC. Potatoes following NCC needed to be fertilized at 225 kg N ha−1 to produce the highest yield of 26.5 Mg ha−1, whereas potatoes after winter pea or forage radish produced the same or higher yields (10-25%) at 75 or 150 kg N ha−1, respectively. Rye provided less N to a succeeding potato crop than forage radish or winter pea; however, potatoes following rye produced a greater yield than those planted after NCC. Potatoe tubers in cover crop plots accumulated more mineral nutrients compared to NCC; however, the differences among cover crops were not always significant. Overall, forage radish and winter pea were better alternatives to rye as indicated by less N fertilizer application, sustained tuber yield, and tuber mineral nutrient concentration.