Objectives Fertilization has been proved of pivotal measures on potato yield, but the yield effects varied greatly due to complex climatic and soil conditions. By integrating and analyzing the results of existing domestic and international studies, we proposed the suitable fertilization measures in different environments.

Methods Data were searched in the databases of China Knowledge, Wan fang and Web of Science, using keywords “potato yield”, “chemical fertilizer” and “organic fertilizer”. the on the effect of different fertilization measures on potato yield was published, and A 182 papers, published before April 2024 in domestic and oversee, were screened out and 1624 pairs of data were extracted. With no fertilizer as the control group and different fertilization measures as treatment group, the yield effect values were calculated using the random effects model, and the yield effects of different fertilizer measures under different types of fertilizers, climatic conditions and soil properties were quantitatively integrated using the restricted maximum likelihood method (REML) and Mata analysis.

Results Fertilization significantly (P<0.05) increased potato yield, especially the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers. Under both the organic-inorganic combinations and single organic fertilizers, manures demonstrated the highest yield increase; Under single application of chemical fertilizer, NPK treatments had the greatest yield increase. The yield effect of organic-inorganic combination treatments was significantly higher in soil with pH<7.5 than in soil with pH≥8.5, and in soil with organic matter>14 g/kg than in soil with lower organic matter; single application of organic fertilizers was more effective at the places with average annual temperature <6℃ and average annual precipitation of 200−400 mm; while single application of chemical fertilizer was more effective when the mean annual temperature ≥10℃ and the mean annual precipitation ≥800 mm.

Conclusions The application of organic-inorganic combined fertilization proves to be the most efficacious method for enhancing potato yield, irrespective of variations in climate, soil characteristics, and fertilizer types. In cold and arid regions, the use of manure is recommended for optimal potato production, whereas chemical fertilizers tend to yield better results in humid and warm areas.