Biochemical and sensory traits of potato for processing purpose as influenced by vermicompost and potassium sources

Abstract

Production of low-quality potato is the main constraint for increasing the processing and export scenario in Bangladesh. Hence, application of different sources of potassium and vermicompost may improve the biochemical and sensory quality of potato. The experiment was conducted to assess the effect of potassium sources and vermicompost level on the yield and processing quality of potato. The potato variety BARI Alu-25 (Asterix) was used as test crop for this experiment. The experiment consisted of two factors: Factor A: 3 sources of Potassium as-K1: KCl, K2: KNO3, K3: K2SO4; Factor B: 4 levels of vermicompost as-Vm0: 0 ton, Vm1: 4 ton, Vm2: 8 ton, and Vm3: 12 ton. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. Results revealed that the highest dry matter content (19.83%), specific gravity (1.090 g/cc), and starch (14.81%) were recorded from K2SO4, whereas, the lowest from KNO3. The firmness, dry matter content, specific gravity, and starch content increased with increasing the vermicompost level. A negative relation was observed in the case of TSS and sugar content. Among the 12 treatment combinations, the highest dry matter content (21.12%), specific gravity (1.103 g/cc), and starch (16.34%) were found from K3Vm3, whereas, the lowest from K2Vm0 treatment. However, K1Vm2, K1Vm3, K3Vm2, K3Vm3 showed statistically similar results regarding quality attributes. But the availability of potassium sources and economic point of view, KCl combined with 8-ton vermicompost ha-1 could be used for the production of good quality potato.