SOUTHEAST CHINA

Balanced Fertilization for Ginger Production

– Why Potassium Is Important
By Lujiu Li, Fang Chen, Dianli Yao, Jiajia Wang, Nan Ding, and Xiyu Liu

Potassium is one of the most important limiting factors for ginger production. The
main practices to obtain high rhizome yield with optimal nutrient use efficiency include
fertilizer application based on soil testing, topdressing K fertilizer at growth stages
with peak demand, and applying enough K to balance the appropriate N and P ap-
plication rates.

G
inger is a leading high value crop in Table 1. Physical and chemical properties of tested soils by National Laboratory of Soil Test
southeastern China and a primary ing and Fertilizer Recommendations in Beijing.
source of income for the region’s farm-
OM Ca Mg N P K S B Cu Fe Mn Zn
ers. Ginger rhizomes and their products are
Year/Location pH % - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - mg/L - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
consumed as a spice, in Chinese medicine, and
as a special vegetable in daily diets worldwide. 2002/Gaotang 6.9 0.5 3,040 396 13 33 73 12 0.7 3.3 38 17 1.8
Most recent statistics indicate that area planted 2003/Tanpeng 6.2 0.6 3,039 618 15 40 67 13 0.5 2.9 84 83 1.5
to ginger in China is about 240,000 ha, which 2007/Shanqiao-1 6.4 0.6 3,206 418 12 25 70 9 0.1 1.3 21 12 0.9
accounts for 48% of the total ginger crop area
globally. 2007/Shanqiao-2 6.2 0.8 3,306 555 13 15 62 8 0.1 1.6 42 15 2.4
This paper focuses on Anhui Province, 2008/Yangqiao-1 6.5 1.3 4,336 556 24 15 74 4 2.5 2.9 15 46 1.6
which is one of the most important ginger pro- 2008/Yangqiao-2 6.6 1.4 3,683 473 18 17 59 12 2.2 2.6 16 69 1.2
duction regions. Nutrient management is always Critical values — 1.5 401 122 50 12 78 12 0.2 1.0 10 5 2.0
an important consideration for ginger because
Experimental sites that test below the soil test critical level are likely to respond positively to
it requires large quantities of nutrients, espe- the nutrient application.
cially K. However, farmers in Anhui typically
overuse N and P, and ignore K fertilization. Soil Testing and Fertilizer Recommendations in Beijing. Ac-
They are unaccustomed to applying potash in upland crops, cording to traditional practice, basal fertilization included all
and this region has a general lack of K fertilization products of the P and K plus 60% of the total N rate. The remaining N
and knowledge regarding balanced fertilization. was split between topdressings applied at the vigorous growth
This research program in Linquan County began with a stage and rhizome expansion growth stage.
series of field experiments carried out in 2002 and 2003 in the Fixed OPT field trials were also conducted in 2007
towns of Gaotang and Tanpeng to test fixed ‘optimum’ (OPT) (Shanqiao-1) and 2008 (Yangqiao-1). Field testing at these
NPK treatments, as well as corresponding nutrient omission sites evolved to include more detailed investigation of the
treatments. Recommended N, P, and K rates in the OPT consid- effects of N, P, and K application rates on rhizome yield, K
ered both the average rates traditionally used by local farmers uptake, and profitability. The trials were designed as three
as well as soil analysis and fertilizer recommendation according independent experiments, each focusing on the evaluation of
to the Agro-Services International (ASI) method (Portch and five rates of either N, P, or K co-applied with fixed rates of the
Hunter, 2002), which is used by the National Laboratory of other two nutrients. As an alternative to traditional practice,
basal fertilization in these trials included 40% of the total N
and K plus the entire P rate. The remaining N and K were
equally topdressed by in-row band application in early August
(three branch growth stage) and early September (vigorous
growth stage). Usually, common practice does not include
any topdressing of K fertilizer. A plant biomass and K accu-
mulation experiment was also initiated in 2007 at Shanqiao
in order to describe crop K demand throughout the season.
Ginger plant samples were taken on July 11 (seedling stage),
Better Crops/Vol. 94 (2010, No. 1)

August 1 (three branch stage), August 27 (vigorous growth

stage), September 23 (rhizome expansion stage), and October
22 (harvest stage). Stalk, foliage, and rhizome of ginger were
collected and analyzed.
Ginger rhizomes are consumed as a spice, in medicine, and as a vegetable All experiments were located on a common Shajiang black
in diets around the world. vertisol (Table 1). The list of soil properties indicates the soils
List of Abbreviations: N = nitrogen; P = phosphorus; K = potassium; DAP
of these fixed trials were low in organic matter, available N,
= diammonium phosphate; SSP = single superphosphate; KCl = potassium K, S, and Zn. The soil in Shanqiao also showed low B content.
chloride; Zn = zinc; Ca = calcium; Mg = magnesium; S = sulfur; B = boron; Because of many years of P fertilization, available soil P was
Cu = copper; Fe = iron; Mn = Mangenese; OM = organic matter. relatively high in all of the sites, especially in Gaotang and
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 Table 2. Effect of K rates on accumulation of ginger plant biomass and K
uptake.
- - Biomass accumulation, kg/ha - - K nutrient uptake, kg/ha
N-P2O5-K2O S1 T V E H S T V E H
400-90-0 396 525 1,567 4,418 744 21 21 45 80 25
400-90-200 612 861 1,722 4,946 1,267 35 38 45 133 54
400-90-400 779 955 2,046 5,305 1,439 49 47 68 214 84
400-90-600 865 722 1,931 5,227 1,356 58 38 76 271 89
400-90-800 714 734 1,930 4,783 1,119 53 46 79 228 126
1
S = seedling stage (1 to 90 days after seeding [DAS]); T = three branches
stage (90 to 110 DAS); V = vigorous growth stage (110 to 130 DAS); E = rhi-
zome expansion stage (130 to 160 DAS), and H = harvest stage (160 DAS). Ginger plants require large amounts of nutrients, especially K.

Table 3. Effect of K rates on ginger rhizome yield and net returns. Results from the biomass and nutrient
accumulation study found relatively slower
Yield, Yield Total K uptake, Net return over
Year/Location N-P2O5-K2O kg/ha increase, % kg/ha fertilizer, US$/ha rates for both plant growth and K uptake
prior to the vigorous growth stage, which
2007/Shanqiao-1 400-90-0 37,847 c - 108 14,975 marked the beginning of much more rapid
400-90-200 42,188 b 11.5 154 16,791 accumulation of both until plant harvest
400-90-400 45,651 a 20.6 236 18,256 (Table 2). The mean proportion of total
biomass accumulated at the seedling, three
400-90-600 41,319 b 9.2 285 16,603 branch, vigorous growth, rhizome expan-
400-90-800 40,858 bc 8.0 264 16,499 sion, and harvest stages was 7%, 8%, 20%,
2008/Yangqiao-1 450-90-0 36,382 d - 104 19,104 53%, and 12%, respectively. Plant biomass
responded to increases in K application rate,
450-90-225 45,384 b 24.7 166 23,995 and the highest biomass accumulation was
450-90-450 51,260 a 40.9 250 27,228 commonly observed under 400 kg K2O/ha.
450-90-675 44,789 b 23.1 309 23,918 The mean proportion of total K accumulated
at each of the stages listed was 11%, 10%,
450-90-900 41,288 c 13.5 267 22,181 16%, 45%, and 18%, respectively. The effect
For Tables 3 to 6, numbers followed by the same letter are not significantly different at p = 0.05. of N and P application rates was consistent
In 2007, the price of ginger rhizome was $US0.40/kg, N was $US0.53/kg, P2O5 was $US0.53/ with results observed for that of K (data not
kg, and K2O was $US0.40/kg. shown).
In 2008, the price of ginger rhizome was $US0.53/kg, N was $US0.53/kg, P2O5 was $US0.67/ Results from the three NPK rate trials at
kg, and K2O was $US0.53/kg. Shanqiao in 2007 agreed that the most profit-
(1US$=7.5 RMB).
able, high yielding combination was 400 kg
K2O/ha applied along with 400 kg N/ha and
Table 4. Effect of N rates on ginger rhizome yield and net returns.
90 kg P2O5/ha. The best results at Yangqiao
Yield, Yield Total K uptake, Net return over in 2008 were achieved with 450-120-450 kg
Year/Location N-P2O5-K2O kg/ha increase, % kg/ha fertilizer, US$/ha N-P2O5-K2O/ha (Tables 3, 4, and 5). For
2007/Shanqiao-1 0-90-400 32,350 c - 173 13,052 farmers who traditionally ignore K applica-
tion, the economic benefit from co-applying
200-90-400 39,931 b 23.4 247 16,074 adequate K represented an additional net
400-90-400 45,602 a 41.0 323 18,237 return approaching US$3,000/ha.
600-90-400 37,529 b 16.0 272 14,901 The OPTs were tested once again against
nutrient omission plots at two other locations
800-90-400 35,010 bc 8.2 262 13,788 (Shanqiao-2 and Yangqiao-2) and results
2008/Yangqiao-1 0-90-450 34,976 c - 187 18,715 agreed with earlier attempts at identifying
Better Crops/Vol. 94 (2010, No. 1)

225-90-450 42,647 b 21.9 263 22,782 an optimal NPK strategy (Table 6). That
is, collectively the six fixed OPT trials con-
450-90-450 51,117 a 46.1 362 27,152 ducted over 4 years agree that N is the most
675-90-450 43,657 b 24.8 316 23,079 important limiting factor for ginger rhizome
900-90-450 41,440 b 18.5 310 21,785 yield in Anhui, followed by K and P. Across
sites, balanced fertilization significantly
Tanpeng. All plots were arranged in a randomized complete increased ginger rhizome yield by 42%, 13%, and 27%, com-
block design with four replicates. The sources of fertilizer were pared to the OPT-N, OPT-P, and OPT-K, respectively. Any
urea, DAP or SSP, and KCl. The cultivar was local “lion-head” increase in N application rate towards the OPT should be ac-
ginger, and the plant populations were 106,000 plants/ha. companied with a proportional increase in K application rate.
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 Table 5. Effect of P rates on ginger rhizome yield and net returns.
Yield, Yield Total K uptake, Net return over
Year/Location N-P2O5-K2O kg/ha increase, % kg/ha fertilizer, US$/ha
2007/Shanqiao 400-0-400 40,567 b - 168 16,175
400-60-400 44,213 a 9.0 199 17,665
400-120-400 45,685 a 12.6 251 18,286
400-160-400 43,345 ab 6.8 242 17,371
400-240-400 42,604 ab 5.0 233 17,117
2008/Yangqiao 450-0-450 42,940 c - 178 22,758
450-60-450 46,678 b 8.7 210 24,780
450-120-450 51,386 a 19.7 282 27,315
450-180-450 46,998 b 9.5 262 25,030
450-240-450 45,634 bc 6.3 250 24,347

Table 6. Effect of N, P, or K omission on ginger rhizome yields.

2002 2003 2007 2007 2008 2008
Treatments Gaotang Tanpeng Shanqiao-1 Shanqiao-2 Yangqiao-1 Yangqiao-2
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - kg/ha - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OPT1 43,120 a 37,790 a 46,290 a 47,220 a 52,190 a 50,160 a
OPT-N 32,010 d 27,530 c 33,560 c 32,180 c 34,910 d 34,850 d
OPT-P 39,250 b 34,120 b 42,130 b 41,120 b 45,380 b 43,380 b
OPT-K 35,370 c 29,210 c 36,570 c 38,660 b 39,110 c 39,290 c
1
OPT: N-P2O5-K2O rates were 375-90-450 (2002 and 2003); 400-90-400 (2007); and 450-120- Studies in Anhui Province show benefits of soil test-
450 (2008). ing to evaluate nutrient supply for ginger.

The authors recommended P fertilization rate for ginger in this Acknowledgments

region at 120 kg P2O5/ha and as such recommend an N: P2O5: This research project was supported by the IPNI China
K2O fertilization ratio of 100: 25 to 30: 100. Program. IPNI Project # Anhui-10.
These results show that K is an important limiting factor for
ginger production in Anhui. Ginger is sensitive to and needs Dr. Li and Dr. Wang are with the Soil and Fertilizer Institute, Anhui
a large amount of available soil K. Balanced use of fertilizers Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, China. Dr.
will improve rhizome yields and it contributes greatly to the Chen is Deputy Director, IPNI, Southeast China, located at Wuhan Bo-
tanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074.
economic viability of the crop. Profits were highest under this Dr. Yao, Dr. Ding, and Dr. Liu are with the Extension Centre of Agri-
study’s recommended K rates, and balanced fertilization of N cultural Technology of Linquan County, Anhui, 230064, China.
and P were effective at supporting improved farmer profit. Soil
testing used to evaluate soil nutrient supply also provided good References
guidance for avoiding over fertilization. BC Portch, S. and A. Hunter. 2002. PPI/PPIC China Program Special Publication,
No. 5.

Better Crops/Vol. 94 (2010, No. 1)

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