COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED IRON-RICH GENOTYPES TO NATIVELY DEVELOPED GENOTYPES OF POTATO FOR YIELD AND YIELD ATTRIBUTES IN MIDHILL OF NEPAL

Abstract

A co-ordinated varietal trial was carried out in mid-hill environment (1000-1200 masl) of Lahachok in Kaski district to compare yield and yield attributes of six introduced iron-rich (T 303381.3, T 30439456, T 393371.58, T 304368.46, T 304351.109, T 391058175) genotypes and three natively developed (PRP 6267.1, PRP 056267.1, PRP 1468 71.3) genotypes of potato during the winter seasons of the years 2021 and 2022. The experiment was set to an RCBD with 3 replications and nine treatments. The iron-rich genotypes were introduced from International Potato Center, Peru and remaining genotypes were developed by National Potato Research Programme, Nepal. Well-sprouted seed tubers (25-50 g size) were planted in ridges at 60 cm inter-row and 25 cm intra-row spacing in 7.2 m2 plot area. Fertilizers were applied at the rate of 20 tons farm yard manure and 100:100:60 kg N: P2O5: K2O per hectare. Observations were recorded on vegetative parameters, damage by late blight disease and major insect pests, tuber yield and tuber size distribution. Average of two-year results revealed that the genotypes were significantly different (p =<0.05) for emergence, ground cover, vigor, plant height, number and weight of under size, seed size and over size tubers, number of tubers per hectare, tuber yield and late blight infection. The genotypes were statistically similar for uniformity, stems per plant and insect damage. Based on yield and other attributes, PRP 146871.3 (37.13 t/ha) from natively developed and T 393371.58 (29.78 t/ha) and T 304351.109 (28.23 t/ha) from introduced iron-rich genotypes were promising for further evaluation in similar agro-ecological domains.