ejss Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 2147-4249 Türkiye Toprak Bilimi Derneği 10.18393/ejss.1893889 Soil Sciences and Plant Nutrition (Other) Toprak Bilimleri ve Bitki Besleme (Diğer) Sequential foliar NPK nutrition and amino acid supplementation mitigate plant-available water deficit effects on growth, yield, and tuber carbohydrates of potato under greenhouse conditions https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1815-9461 Kenzhaliyeva Bakhytkul Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9586-798X Daldabayeva Gulnur Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1956-0479 Shamshina Gulzhanat Kazakhstan University of Innovation and Telecommunication Systems. Uralsk, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3458-3799 Suleimenova Naziya Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, Almaty, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7574-5962 Zhumataуeva Zhazira Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4745-1437 Abdukerim Rauza Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, Almaty, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6850-821X Amangeldi Nurgul Kazakh National University of Al-Farabi, Almaty, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5485-3565 Kuspangaliyeva Khansulu Kh.Dosmukhamedov Atyrau University. Atyrau, Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6566-830X Seitmuratov Bakhyt Regional Branch "Kainar" of LLP "Kazakh Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable Growing", Kazakhstan 04 01 2026 15 2 267 278 10 07 2025 02 13 2026 Copyright © 2012, Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 2012 Eurasian Journal of Soil Science

Water deficit is a major constraint for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production, reducing canopy development, tuber filling, and quality-related carbohydrate accumulation. Foliar nutrition and amino-acid-based biostimulants may partially offset drought-induced limitations in root nutrient uptake and plant metabolic activity. This greenhouse pot experiment evaluated whether a phenology-based, sequential foliar nutrition program and amino acid supplementation can alleviate the effects of progressive reductions in plant-available water (PAW) on potato growth, yield, and tuber carbohydrate composition. Certified seed tubers of cv. Agria were grown in clay loam soil under a completely randomized design with three replications. Pots were maintained at four PAW regimes (100%, 75%, 50%, and 25%), with three foliar regimes within each PAW level: (i) non-sprayed control, (ii) sequential foliar fertilization, and (iii) sequential foliar fertilization plus amino acids. Foliar applications were conducted four times from early vegetative growth to tuber bulking, using stage-specific water-soluble NPK formulations supplemented with micronutrients; the amino acid product was applied concomitantly in the combined treatment. Decreasing PAW reduced stem number, stem diameter, plant length, total leaf number, tuber yield, and tuber carbohydrate concentrations. Across irrigation regimes, sequential foliar fertilization improved vegetative growth and increased tuber yield relative to the control, and amino acids provided a further benefit. Yield responses exceeded changes in tuber number, indicating effects mainly on tuber growth rather than tuber set. Foliar treatments—particularly with amino acids—also increased tuber glucose, fructose, sucrose, and starch within each PAW level, suggesting improved carbon assimilation and/or sink activity under water limitation. Overall, a stage-targeted foliar NPK program integrated with amino acids is a practical strategy to reduce yield penalties and sustain tuber carbohydrate accumulation under deficit irrigation. Field validation across cultivars and mechanistic measurements are warranted to refine dose–timing recommendations.

 Potato deficit irrigation foliar fertilization amino acids tuber carbohydrates Abd El-Hady M.A.M., Nada, M.M., Omar, G.F., 2019. Evaluation of tuber soaking and foliar spraying with some stimulants on growth and productivity of potato. Middle East Journal of Agriculture Research 5(4): 889-898. Abewoy, D., 2024. Plant spacing and nitrogen fertilizer effect on potato (Solanum Tuberosum) growth, yield and quality: Review. Global Academic Journal of Agriculture and Biosciences 6(1): 8-14. Acevedo, A., Lacerda, V., Avilez, A., De Almeida Silva, J., Vieites, R., 2024. Effects of water deficit stress and salicylic acid preharvest treatments on postharvest biochemical parameters of potato. Food and Humanity 4: 100413. Acevedo, A., Lacerda, V., Da Silva Gomes, J., Avilez, A., Sarria, S., Broetto, F., Vieites, R., De Souza Guimarães, M., 2023. Foliar salicylic acid application to mitigate the effect of water deficiency on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Plant Stress 7: 100135. Aitbayev, T., Aitbayeva, A., Yertayeva, Z., Petrov, E., Zorzhanov, B., Turegeldiyev, B., Yeleuova, E., 2025. Evaluation of foliar biostimulants and micronutrient complexes for improving tomato growth, yield, and fruit quality in Southeastern Kazakhstan. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 14(4): 313-324. Al-Selwey, W., Alsadon, A., Alenazi, M., Tarroum, M., Ibrahim, A., Ahmad, A., Osman, M., Seleiman, M., 2023. Morphological and biochemical response of potatoes to exogenous application of ZnO and SiO2 nanoparticles in a water deficit environment. Horticulturae 9(8): 883. Barandalla, L., Alvarez-Morezuelas, A., Iribar, C., Ritter, E., Riga, P., Lacuesta, M., De Galarreta, J., 2025. Physiological response to nitrogen deficit in potato under greenhouse conditions. Plants 14(21): 3237. Berry, J., Bjorkman, O., 1980. Photosynthetic response and adaptation to temperature in higher plants. Annual Review Plant Biology 31: 491- 543. Bouyoucous, G.J., 1951. A recalibration of the hydrometer method for making mechanical analysis of soils. Agronomy Journal 43: 434-438. Cassel, D.K., Nielsen, D.R., 1986. Field Capacity and Available Water Capacity. In: Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 1 Physical and Mineralogical Methods. Klute, A. (Ed.). Soil Science Society of America. Madison, Wisconsin, USA. pp.901-926. Chabani, H., Tarchoun, N., Amami, R., Saadaoui, W., Mezghani, N., Alexopoulos, A., Petropoulos, S., 2024. Investigating the effects of optimized mineral fertilization on plant growth, physiological traits, tuber yield, and biochemical contents of potato crop. Horticulturae 11(1): 11. Chincinska, I.A., Liesche, J., Krügel, U., Michalska, J., Geigenberger, P., Grimm, B., Kühn, C., 2008. Sucrose Transporter StSUT4 from potato affects flowering, tuberization, and shade avoidance response. Plant Physiology 146(2): 323-324. Desoky, E., Selem, E., El-Maati, M., Hassn, A., Belal, H., Rady, M., Al-Harbi, M., Ali, E., 2021. Foliar supplementation of clove fruit extract and salicylic acid maintains the performance and antioxidant defense system of Solanum tuberosum L. under deficient irrigation regimes. Horticulturae 7(11): 435. El-Yazied, A.A., Ibrahim, M.F.M., Ibrahim, M.A.R., Nasef, I.N., Al-Qahtani, S.M., Al-Harbi, N.A., Alzuaibr, F.M., Alaklabi, A., Dessoky, E.S., Alabdallah, N.M., Omar, M.M.A., Ibrahim, M.T.S., Metwally, A.A., Hassan, K.M., Shehata, S.A., 2022. Melatonin mitigates drought ınduced oxidative stress in potato plants through modulation of osmolytes, sugar metabolism, ABA homeostasis and antioxidant enzymes. Plants 11(9): 1151. Geiger, D.R., Koch, K.E., Shieh, W.J., 1996. Effect of environmental factors on whole plant assimilate partitioning and associated gene expression. Journal of Experimental Botany 47: 1229-1238. Gülser, C., Zharlygasov, Z., Kızılkaya, R., Kalimov, N., Akça, I., Zharlygasov, Z., 2019. The effect of NPK foliar fertilization on yield and macronutrient content of grain in wheat under Kostanai-Kazakhstan conditions. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 8(3): 275-281. Henderson, B.C.R., Sanderson, J.M., Fowles, A., 2025. A review of the foliar application of individual amino acids as biostimulants in plants. Discover Agriculture 3: 69. Horvat, T., Majić, A., Svečnjak, Z., Jurkić, V., 2008. Effects of foliar fertilization and water stress on yield and physiological characteristics of potato. Cereal Research Communications 36: 1659–1662. Horvat, T., Poljak, M., Lazarević, B., Svečnjak, Z., Karažija, T., 2010. Effect of foliar fertilizers on chlorophyll content index and yield of potato crop grown under water stress conditions. Novenytermeles 59: 215–218. Hu, S., Li, K., Zhang, X., Yang, C., Zhang, R., Guo, H., 2023. The impact of the foliar application of amino acid aqueous fertilizer on the flavor of potato tubers. Foods 12(21): 3951. Islamzade, T., Guliyev, S., Guliyeva, Z., Qaribova, S., Islamzade, R., 2025. Effect of foliar fertilization applied at different phenological stages on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and grain nutrient content under greenhouse conditions. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 14(2): 133-139. Kuznetsova, M.A., Rogozhin, A.N., Smetanina, T.I., Demidova, V.N., Statsyuk, N.V., 2022. Foliar application of amino acid-based bioorganic stimulator as a tool to increase the yield of potato. AIP Conference Proceedings 2390: 030046. Loeppert, R.H., Suarez, D.L., 1996. Carbonate and gypsum. In: Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3 Chemical Methods, 5.3. Sparks, D., Page, A., Helmke, P., Loeppert, R., Soltanpour, P.N., Tabatabai, M.A., Johnston C.T., Sumner M.E. (Eds.). American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, pp. 437-475. Mahmoud, F.E.A.R., Ragab, M.E., Youssef, S.M., Metwally, A.A., 2023. Growth, yield, and tuber quality of potato with foliar application of tryptophan and its derivatives. Egyptian Journal of Horticulture 51(2): 161-173. Man-Hong, Y., Lei, Z., Sheng-Tao, X., McLaughlin, N., Jing-Hui, L., 2020. Effect of water soluble humic acid applied to potato foliage on plant growth, photosynthesis characteristics and fresh tuber yield under different water deficits. Scientific Reports 10: 7854. Martins, J.S.L., Soratto, R.P., Fernandes, A.M., Dias, P.H.M., 2018. Phosphorus fertilization and soil texture affect potato yield. Revista Caatinga 31(3): 541-550. Morovvat, S.A., Sadrabadi, M.R., Noferest, K.S., Darban, A.S., Salati, M., 2021. Effects of foliar application chitosan and salicylic acid on physiological characteristics and yield under deficit irrigation condition. Agrivita: Journal of Agricultural Science 43: 101–113. Norwitz, G., Bardsley, A.H., Keliher, P.N., 1981. Determination of phenol in the presence of sulfite (sulfur dioxide) by the 4-aminoantipyrine spectro-photometric method. Analytica Chimica Acta 128: 251-256. Oladele, S.O., Gould, I., Varga, S., 2025. Low-carbon footprint organo-mineral fertilizer increases potato yield, nitrogen uptake, and soil nutrient levels comparable to conventional fertilizer. Potato Research 68: 3505–3523. Peech, M., 1965. Hydrogen-Ion Activity. In: Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Chemical and microbiological properties. Black, C.A., Evans, D.D., White, J.L., Ensminger, L.E., Clark F.E. (Eds.), Soil Science Society of America. Madison, Wisconsin, USA. pp. 914-926. Petropoulos, S.A., Fernandes, Â., Polyzos, N., Antoniadis, V., Barros, L., Ferreira, C.F.R.I., 2020. The impact of fertilization regime on the crop performance and chemical composition of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivated in central Greece. Agronomy 10(4): 474. Rowell, D.L., 1996. Soil Science: methods and applications. Longman, UK. 350p. Saaseea, K.G., Al-A’amry, N.J.K., 2024. Effects of mineral fertilization and spraying with salicylic acid and amino acids on the growth and productivity of industrial potatoes. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences 55: 162-174. Samy, M.M., 2022. Improving the growth and yield of potato plants in the winter season. Journal of Plant Production 13(3): 99-107. Seleiman, M.F., Al-Selwey, W.A., Ibrahim, A.A., Shady, M., Alsadon, A.A., 2023. Foliar applications of ZnO and SiO2 nanoparticles mitigate water deficit and enhance potato yield and quality traits. Agronomy 13(2): 466. Seno Nascimento, C., Seno Nascimento, C., de Jesus Pereira, B., Soares Silva, P.H., Pessôa da Cruz, M.C., Bernardes Cecílio Filho, A., 2024. Enhancing sustainability in potato crop production: Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate accumulation in potato tubers through optimized nitrogen fertilization. Nitrogen 5(1): 163-176. Shaheen, A.M., Ragab, M.E., Rizk, F.A., Mahmoud, S.H., Soliman, M.M., Omar, N.M., 2019. Effect of some active stimulants on plant growth, tubers yield and nutritional values of potato plants grown in newly reclaimed soil. Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences 29(1): 215-225. Wadas, W., 2021. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) growth in response to foliar silicon application. Agronomy 11(12): 2423. Wadas, W., Kondraciuk, T., 2025. The role of foliar-applied silicon in improving the growth and productivity of early potatoes. Agriculture 15(5): 556. Walkley, A., Black, C.A., 1934. An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Science 37(1): 29–38. Wang, Y., Qin, T., Pu, Z., Dekomah, S.D., Yao, P., Sun, C., Liu, Y., Bi, Z., Bai, J., 2023. Foliar application of chelated sugar alcohol calcium improves photosynthesis and tuber quality under drought stress in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24(15): 12216. Zeebaree, P.J.M., Mohammed, G.H., 2025. Effect of nano NPK fertilizer and amino acids (Tecamin Max) as foliar application on vegetative growth, yield and mineral leaves content of two potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum L.). Journal of Applied Horticulture 27(4): 606-611. Zhussupova, L., Kenzhaliyeva, B., Yessenbayeva, J., Kuspangaliyeva, K., Shayanbekova, B., Omarova, G., Smanov, A., İslamzade, R., Kızılkaya, R., 2026. Integrated organic and biostimulant strategies to improve wheat productivity under salt-affected soil conditions. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 15(1): 113-125.