Serbian trial links irrigation and N-K fertilizer choices to chip potato quality
Researchers at the Universities of Novi Sad and Belgrade report in the American Journal of Potato Research, published 28 Oct 2026, how drip versus sprinkler irrigation and nitrogen-potassium fertilizer strategies affected the chip-processing quality of three potato cultivars grown in Serbia from 2021 to 2023 and tested under commercial factory conditions.
Why it matters
Dry matter and tuber defects decide chip yield, oil uptake and rejection rates at the plant. The study ties those traits to choices growers make in the field, and its prediction models could help chip buyers flag weak lots before delivery. It also adds data from the Pannonian Basin, a region that is not studied much.
A Serbian research team has published a brief report in the American Journal of Potato Research on how field management shapes the processing quality of potatoes grown for chips. The paper appeared online on 28 Oct 2026.
What was tested?
The field work ran for three seasons, 2021 to 2023, in the Pannonian Basin of Serbia, with three chip cultivars. The trials compared drip and sprinkler irrigation, combined with different nitrogen-potassium fertilization strategies. The harvested tubers were then judged under commercial factory conditions rather than only in the laboratory. The authors work at the University of Novi Sad, the University of Belgrade and the agricultural extension service PSS Sombor.
The abstract does not name the cultivars or give the fertilizer rates.
How well could quality be predicted?
The team built artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict quality traits from the irrigation and fertilization inputs. The models were most accurate for:
- total internal defects (R² 0.922)
- dry matter content (R² 0.914)
- total external defects (R² 0.892)
- dry residue (R² 0.850)
The authors call the models' accuracy variable across the full set of traits. A principal component analysis backed up the classical statistics and showed how the quality traits relate to one another.
What do the authors conclude?
They say the results give growers practical guidance on managing irrigation and fertilization together to improve chip potato quality when field conditions vary from year to year. Treatment means, yields and other detailed results are behind the publisher's paywall. The underlying data are available from the corresponding author on request.
Source: American Journal of Potato Research, Vojnović et al.
Key numbers
| Figure | Value | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANN prediction accuracy, total internal defects | 0.922 R² | 28 Oct 2026 | Source |
| ANN prediction accuracy, dry matter content | 0.914 R² | 28 Oct 2026 | Source |
| ANN prediction accuracy, total external defects | 0.892 R² | 28 Oct 2026 | Source |
| ANN prediction accuracy, dry residue | 0.850 R² | 28 Oct 2026 | Source |
| Field trial seasons | 3 years (2021-2023) | 28 Oct 2026 | Source |
Sources
- Processing Quality of Potatoes Produced for Chips in Relation to Irrigation and Fertilization Regimes · American Journal of Potato Research (Springer) (primary source)