Concentrations of copper, zinc and manganese in potato tubers under the influence of herbicides

A field experiment was carried out in 2008−2010 at the Agricultural Experimental Farm of the University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce, located in Zawady. The experiment was established on light loamy soil which belonged to a very good rye complex. The experiment was designed in a two-factor split-plot pattern with three replicates. The factors examined in the experiment included three cultivars of edible potatoes: Cekin, Satina, Tajfun, and five weed control methods: application of the following herbicides (mixed or alone) Command 480 EC, Command 480 EC and Dispersive Afalon 450 SC, Stomp 400 SC, Stomp 400 SC and Dispersive Afalon 450 SC, while the control consisted of mechanical weeding without chemical protection. The aim was to determine the influence of selected herbicides and their combinations (Command 480 EC, Command 480 EC and Dispersive Afalon 450 SC, Stomp 400 SC, Stomp 400 SC and Dispersive Afalon 450 SC) on the content of copper, zinc and manganese in three potato cultivars. Potato tubers were harvested at full maturity. Samples of potato tubers for chemical analyses were taken from plots during harvest. Microelements in the dry matter of potato tubers were determined by the AAS method. The content of copper was significantly dependent on the cultivars, weed control methods and weather conditions during the growing season. In contrast, concentrations of depended on the cultivars and meteorological conditions, whereas the content of manganese in potato tubers was strongly conditioned by genetic traits of the cultivars.