Optimization of Fertilizer Use in Sugar Beet Fields of Khorasan Razavi Province Using the Deviation from Optimal Percentage (DOP) Method: Results of a Two-Year Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistance professor of Soil and Water Research Department, Kermanshah Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center

2 Soil and Water Research Department, Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO

3 Researcher Expert of Soil and Water Research Department, Kermanshah Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO

10.30466/asr.2026.55914.1875

Abstract

Sugar beet in Iran has the highest water production in the country after forage corn and wheat. Using the Deviation from Optimum Percentage (DOP) approach is an effective approach for assessing the nutritional status of sugar beet plants. The objective of this research is to evaluate and optimize the nutritional status of sugar beet over two agricultural years in Khorasan Razavi province using the DOP method. In one year, 30 fields were selected, and in the other year, 31 fields with varying soil properties were chosen. The physical and chemical properties of these samples were measured in the laboratory. Leaf sampling was conducted in both years to determine nutrient concentrations. In this study, the high-yielding group in sugar beet fields was identified using the DOP method through mathematical and statistical analysis and the application of the cumulative function. The results obtained in this province indicated that 67%, 52.5%, 82%, 62%, 59%, and 53% of the fields exhibited deficiencies in phosphorus, potassium, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper in the soil, respectively, with an average yield across all fields of 58.5 tons/ha. According to the DOP method, the order of nutrient requirements for the macronutrients was P (60%) >K (54%) >N (27%), while for the micronutrient it was B (69%) > Mn (58%) > Zn (54%) > Cu (44%) > Fe (42%) in low-yielding fields compared to their critical soil levels. The Nutrient Balance Index (NBI) was calculated for sugar beet fields in Semnan province, revealing a relative imbalance between the nutrients absorbed by this plant. This situation points to improper management practices regarding irrigation and fertilization in these fields. Therefore, the DOP method is particularly suitable for addressing the unbalanced application of chemical fertilizers in Razavi Khorasan province. This method can be effectively utilized to assess nutrient status, diagnose nutritional disorders, improve fertilizer recommendations, and enhance the quality of sugar beet production in a practical manner within this region.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Anonymous. (2022). Statistical year book of agriculture. Center for Statistics, Information Technology and Communications, Deputy of Economic Planning, Ministry of Agriculture-Jihad, Tehran, Iran. (In Persian).
Anonymous. (2023). Statistical year book of agriculture. Center for Statistics, Information Technology and Communications, Deputy of Economic Planning, Ministry of Agriculture-Jihad, Tehran, Iran. (In Persian).
Askegaard, M., Hansen, H. C., & Schjorring, J. K. (2005). A cation exchange resin method for measuring long-term potassium release rates from soil. Plant and Soil, 271(1-2), 63-74.
Bahar, A., Karam, A., & Makhdoom, U. (2020). Nutritional management of sugar beet: An integrated approach. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 183(4), 443-455.
Bertrand, I., Holloway, R. E., Armstrong, R. D., & McLaughlin, M. J. (2003). Chemical characteristics of phosphorus in alkaline soils from southern Australia. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 41, 61-76.
Black, C. A., Evans, D. D., & Dinauer, R. C. (1965). Methods of Soil Analysis. American Society of Agronomy.
Buresh, R. J., Austin, E. R., & Craswell, E. T. (1982). Analytical methods in N-15 research. Fertilizer Research, 3(1), 37-62.
da Silva, A. G., Ribeiro, V. Q., & Costa, K. M. (2020). Evaluating nutrient balance in sugarcane: A case study. Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Research, 55(2), 200-210.
Dovlati, B., Oustan, S. H., & Samadi, A. (2008). Forms of potassium and Q/I relationship for sunflower growing soils in Khoy region. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology and Natural Resources, 12(46), 623-636. (In Persian)
Fox, R. L., Alson, R. A., & Rhoades, H. F. (1964). Evaluating the sulfur status of soils by plants and soil tests. Soil Science Society of America, 21(3), 287-292.
Francis, J., Perera, J., & Carrillo, D. (2022). Assessing nutritional status in sugarcane: The role of DOP. Journal of Soil and Water Research, 17(3), 123-135.
Ghaderi, J., Tehrani, M. M., Hamedi, F., & Heydari, K. (2023). Evaluation of nutritional balance in sugar beet fields through deviation from optimum percentage (DOP) and compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) methods. Iranian Journal of Soil Research, 37(2), 95-115. (In Persian)
Ghaderi, J., Fatehi, S., Akhyani, A., & Khalkhal, K. (2025). Evaluation of nutritional status of sugar beet plant by deviation from optimum percentage (DOP) method in Semnan province (Shahroud): Results of a two-year study. Journal of Soil and Plant Science, 35(1), 15-29. (In Persian)
Ghoreyshi, S., Sepehr, E., & Sharifmand, M. (2024). Evaluation of Nutritional Status and watermelon by Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis (CND) and its comparison with Deviation from Optimum Percentage (DOP) in west Azarbaijan. Iranian Journal of Soil Research. (In Persian)
Ghoreyshi, S. J., Sepehr, E., & Samadi, A. (2017). Evaluation nutritional status of watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) by deviation from optimum percentage (DOP) method in Poldasht, west Azerbaijan. Applied Soil Research, 5(2), 40-51. (In Persian)
Hanway, J. J. (1952). Soil analysis methods as used in Iowa State College soil testing laboratory. Iowa Agriculture Experiment Station, 57, 1-13.
Jones, J. (2001). Laboratory Guide for Conducting Soil Test and Plant Analysis. CRC Press.
Karimi, A., Zakavi, N., Safirzadeh, S., Noroozi, H., & Ariz, A. (2024). Evaluation of sugarcane nutritional status by deviation from optimum percentage (DOP) method in Khuzestan province. Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research, 55(3), 449-466. (In Persian)
Laibarra, F., Fernández-Cornejo, J., & Rus, A. (2014). Nutritional balance in crops: Evaluation methods. Field Crops Research, 15(15), 1-12
Lindsay, W. L., & Norvell, W. A. (1978). Development of a DTPA test for zinc, iron, manganese, and copper. Soil Science Society of America, 42(4), 421-428.
Malakooti, M. J., & Ghaibi, M. N. (1997). Determining the Critical limit of Nutrients for Strategic Crops and Correct Fertilizer Recommendations in the Country. Agricultural Education Publication. (In Persian)
Marschner, H. (1995). Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
McGrath, J. M., & Townsend, B. J. (2015). Sugar beet, energy beet, and industrial beet. In V. M. V. Cruz & D. A. Dierig (Eds.), Industrial crops: Handbook of plant breeding (Vol. 9, pp. 81-99). Springer.
McLean, E. O. (1982). Soil pH and lime requirement. In A. L. Page, R. H. Miller, & D. R. Keeney (Eds.), Methods of soil analysis, part 2: Chemical and microbiological properties (pp. 199-224). Soil Science Society of America.
Montanes, L., Heras, L., Abadia, J., & Sanz, M. (1993). Plant analysis interpretation based on a new index: deviation from optimum percentage. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 16(9), 1289-1308.
Olsen, S. R., Cole, C. V., Watanabe, F. S., & Dean, L. A. (1954). Estimation of available phosphorus in soil by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. USDA Circular 939. US Government Printing Office.
Page, A. L., Miller, R. H., & Keeney, D. R. (1982). Chemical and microbiological properties. In Methods of soil analysis, part 2 (2nd ed., pp. 443-444). American Society of Agronomy.
Pereira, B. F., Stoffella, P. J., & Melfi, A. J. (2011). Reclaimed wastewater: Effects on citrus nutrition. Agricultural Water Management, 98, 1828-1833.
Reig, G., Gallego, J., Spruill, C. A., & Ferreira, J. (2018). Nutritional indices for sustainable management of crops. Crop Management, 12(4), 45-57.
Ryan, J. R., Stefan, G., & Rashid, A. (2001). Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory Manual (2nd ed.). International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas.
Shahbazi, K., & Besharti, H. (2013). Overview of Soil Fertility Status in Iranian Agriculture. Journal of Land Management, 1(1), 1-15. (In Persian)
Sharma, J., Shikhamany, S. D., Singh, R. K., & Raghupathi, H. B. (2005). Diagnosis of nutrient imbalance in Thompson seedless grape grafted on Dog Ridge rootstock by DRIS common. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 36(20), 2823-2838.
Walkley, A., & Black, I. 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.
Wilding, L. P. (1985). Spatial variability its documentation, accommodation and implication to soil survey. In D. R. Nielsen & J. Bouma (Eds.), Soil Spatial Variability (pp. 166-194). Pudoc.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 26 January 2025
  • Revise Date: 12 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 06 September 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics