Highest Tuber Yield Research Articles

Influence of Storage Conditions on Four Chipping Potato Cultivars Developed in North Dakota

Cold temperature storage (lower than 10 °C) has been used as a management strategy to extend marketability and reduce potato storage losses. However, cold temperatures may result in dark-colored chips through a process known as cold-induced sweetening (CIS). ‘Dakota Crisp’ and ‘Dakota Diamond’ are two North Dakota State University potato breeding program cultivar releases selected for cold-chipping ability with high tuber yield potential. Two-year storage trials were conducted to examine sugar development and tuber processing quality of four cultivars grown at three nitrogen rates under irrigated and non-irrigated field conditions. The two-way interaction between storage period and storage temperature was significant for sucrose content, glucose content, visual chip color, and Agtron values, indicating a difference in sugar development for each storage temperature profile. Among the four cultivars evaluated under both irrigated and non-irrigated production conditions, ‘Dakota Pearl’ accumulated significantly less sucrose and glucose compared to other cultivars under the same storage conditions. ‘Dakota Crisp’ produced acceptable chip color from 8.9 °C after long term storage, while ‘Dakota Diamond’ produced acceptable chip color from 8.9 °C for up to 6 months of storage. These results emphasize the importance of developing cultivar-specific management profiles including storage and the informational need for producers and processors in determining the best practices for individual cultivars.

Adaptability, stability, and productivity of potato breeding clones and cultivars at high latitudes in Europe

The aim of potato breeding is to release cultivars that exhibit high and stable performance across the target population of environments. The objective of this research was therefore to investigate the use of various methods (site regression [SREG], coefficient of variation and regression deviation [σ2δ]) for determining the adaptability and stability of productive and quality traits in the Nordic region of Europe. The multi-environment trials included 256 breeding clones and released cultivars grown by EU farmers at three distinct testing sites over two years in Sweden. There was significant (P < 0.001) variation in tuber yield, starch percentage and reducing sugars in the tuber flesh among the breeding clones and cultivars, testing environments and the genotype by environment interaction (GEI). The environments were very diverse, as revealed by the SREG biplots and particularly for the GEI patterns noted in terms of their productive and quality characteristics. The percentage of stable high-tuber yielding germplasm was greater for breeding clones (23%) than for released European cultivars (2%), thus revealing the advantage of potato breeding in the target population of environments. SLU 1415001 and SLU 1314015 were the most promising breeding clones due to their stable high tuber yield. This characteristic was best for the starch potato cultivars, although none of them exhibited a significant different σ2δ. ‘Talent’ shows an almost stable good performance among low reducing sugar cultivars and breeding clones, which are often unstable in terms of their scoring across environments. Neither a breeding clone nor a cultivar was at the top for stable tuber yield, tuber flesh starch or reducing sugars in the tuber flesh, which shows the challenge faced by potato breeding while addressing the needs of different markets.

Phenotypic Diversity of Released South African Bred Potato Varieties for Tuber Yield and Processing Quality

Abstract Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a nutritious starchy tuber crop consumed as a staple food in most potato growing countries. Its productivity and production are limited by climate change; thus, it is of utmost importance to tap into the diversity of germplasm resources, therefore, diversifying the potato varieties available for production. The objectives of this study were to determine the phenotypic diversity among the selected Agricultural Research Council-Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants (ARC-VIMP) potato varieties for tuber yields and processing quality and to determine the correlation between measured traits. Two imported and 22 local potato varieties were planted in three different environments in South Africa. Significant (P &lt; 0.001) differences in the tested varieties across all environments were observed for all measured traits. High broad-sense heritability (&gt; 0.6) was observed for most of the traits, except for fry colour and the yield of unmarketable tubers. Nine ARC varieties and three standard varieties were associated with high tuber yield and quality traits, indicating their suitability for the fresh market and processing industry. Variety Mondial and five ARC varieties were associated with high tuber yield, indicating their suitability for the fresh market. Varieties released between 2004 and 2021 had high tuber yield, dry matter and specific gravity compared to the standard varieties and varieties released between 1980 and 1999, although there were slight differences in the magnitudes of their traits measured. These varieties could be recommended for commercial production for specific markets and for use as potential parents for further genetic improvement of the potato crop.

Effect of Chemical Pesticides on the Growth and Yield of Two Industrial Potato Varieties (Asterix and Courage) in Bangladesh

Experiments were conducted to find out suitable disease management practices to produce quality potato seeds in processing the varieties of Asterix and Courage in Bangladesh. A set of two field experiments was conducted in two different Agroecological zones of Bangladesh. A Factorial Randomized Completely Block Design with 2 potato varieties, 4 treatments, and 4 replications for each were used. A significant difference was found in the plant height and number of tubers per hill. In contrast, days to tuberization and the number of stems per hill of both varieties in response to pesticide application were insignificant. The highest tuber yield and better A and B-grade tubers were recorded, in which fungicides and insecticides were applied. The primary viral infection had been identified in the control and fungicide-treated plots only while there was no viral disease incidence was observed in the insecticide-treated plots. The incidence of post-harvest disease and disorder was found to be negligible. J. Bio-Sci. 32(2): 13-22, 2024

Phenotypic and transcriptomics characterization uncovers genes underlying tuber yield traits and gene expression marker development in potato under aeroponics.

Transcriptome analysis in potato varieties revealed genes associated with tuber yield-related traits and developed gene expression markers. This study aimed to identify genes involved in high tuber yield and its component traits in test potato varieties (Kufri Frysona, Kufri Khyati, and Kufri Mohan) compared to control (Kufri Sutlej). The aeroponic evaluation showed significant differences in yield-related traits in the varieties. Total RNA sequencing was performed using tuber and leaf tissues on the Illumina platform. The high-quality reads (QV > 25) mapping with the reference potato genomes revealed statistically significant (P < 0.05) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) into two categories: up-regulated (> 2 Log2 fold change) and down-regulated (< -2 Log2 fold change). DEGs were characterized by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Collectively, we identified genes participating in sugar metabolism, stress response, transcription factors, phytohormones, kinase proteins, and other genes greatly affecting tuber yield and its related traits. A few selected genes were UDP-glucose glucosyltransferase, glutathion S-transferase, GDSL esterase/lipase, transcription factors (MYB, WRKY, bHLH63, and BURP), phytohormones (auxin-induced protein X10A, and GA20 oxidase), kinase proteins (Kunitz-type tuber invertase inhibitor, BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-associated receptor kinase 1) and laccase. Based on the selected 17 peptide sequences representing 13 genes, a phylogeny tree and motifs were analyzed. Real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis was used to validate the RNA-seq results. RT-qPCR based gene expression markers were developed for the genes such as 101kDa heat shock protein, catechol oxidase B chloroplastic, cysteine protease inhibitor 1, Kunitz-type tuber invertase inhibitor, and laccase to identify high yielding potato genotypes. Thus, our study paved the path for potential genes associated with tuber yield traits in potato under aeroponics.

Synergistic Effects of Soil-Based Irrigation and Manure Substitution for Partial Chemical Fertilizer on Potato Productivity and Profitability in Semiarid Northern China.

Soil-based irrigation and the partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with manure are promising practices to improve water and nitrogen (N) use efficiency. We hypothesize that their combination would simultaneously benefit potato production, tuber quality and profitability. A two-year experiment was conducted in semiarid northern China to investigate the combined effects of three water treatments [rainfed (W0), soil-based irrigation (W1), conventional irrigation (W2)] and three N treatments [no N (N0), chemical N (N1), 25% manure substitution (N2)] on these indicators, and to perform a comprehensive evaluation and correlation analysis. The results showed that water and N treatments separately affected all indicators except vitamin C content. Compared to W2, W1 significantly increased water productivity by 12% and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) by 30% due to 10% lower evapotranspiration and 21% lower water use. However, W1 and W2 negatively affected crude protein content. Conversely, this was compensated by the combination with N1 and N2. There were slight differences between N1 and N2 for all indicators on average across water treatments, while under W1, N2 significantly increased leaf area index (LAI) and N recovery efficiency (REN) by 18% and 29.4%, respectively, over N1. Also, comprehensive evaluations showed that W1N2 performed best, with the highest tuber yield, profit and acceptable quality. This can be explained by the increase in LAI, IWUE and REN due to the positive correlations with tuber yield and net return. Consequently, soil-based irrigation combined with 25% manure substitution had complementary effects on tuber quality and synergistic effects on potato productivity and profitability.

Characterization of Acid Hydrolyzed Taro Boloso-I (Colocasia esculenta Cultivar) Starch as a Diluent in Direct Compression of Tablets.

Corn, wheat, rice, potato, and cassava starches have been widely used as pharmaceutical excipients. However, the search for cost-effective local starch alternatives is necessary due to the availability and usage constraints. In Ethiopia, various plant species, including Taro Boloso-I, have been explored as potential sources of pharmaceutical starch. It is a variety of Colocasia esculenta with a high tuber yield and high starch content. However, the native starch requires modifications to enhance its functionality. Therefore, this study aimed to improve the native starch through acid modification and evaluate its performance as a direct compressible tablet excipient. The native starch was treated with a 6% w/v HCl solution for 192 hours, resulting in acid-modified Taro Boloso-I starch, which was then evaluated for suitability for direct compression. XRD patterns of both the native and modified starch showed characteristic A-type crystals, with significantly higher relative crystallinity observed in the latter. Additionally, the acid-modified starch exhibited a lower moisture content and improved flow properties. The compaction study also demonstrated its improved compactibility (tensile strength: 16.82 kg/cm2), surpassing both the native starch (13.17) and Starch 1500® (11.2). The modified starch also showed a lower lubricant sensitivity compared to the native starch and Starch 1500®. Furthermore, paracetamol tablets made with the modified starch exhibited higher mechanical strength and lower friability in all paracetamol concentrations. It incorporated up to 40% paracetamol while maintaining acceptable tablet characteristics, whereas the native starch and Starch 1500® were limited to 30% (w/w). Based on these findings, the modified starch showed promise as an alternative direct compressible excipient in tablet manufacturing.

Rootstock scion interaction studies on various horticultural attributes of pomato grafts under protected structures

Pomato is a horticultural wonder plant, as tomato and potato can be produced from a single plant. This experiment explored the influence of diverse graft combinations of tomato scions grafted onto potato rootstocks on various growth and yield-attributing traits. The investigation outcomes confirmed the significantly positive influence of scion grafted onto rootstock on various yielding attributes of tomato and potato harvested from pomato grafts. Scion “Rakshita” grafted onto the rootstock of Kufri Himalini had the maximum fruit length. In contrast, the fruits harvested from the graft combination of Avtar grafted onto Kufri Khyati had the maximum number of fruits per cluster and the number of fruits per plant. The highest average fruit weight, fruit yield per meter square, and total fruit yield quintal per hectare were recorded with control “Avtar. The longest harvest duration was noticed with the graft combination of Heemsohna grafted onto Kufri Himalini. Moreover, on, rootstock Kufri Himalini with scion Rakshita resulted in maximum tuber length, and average tuber weight, while Kufri Himalini with Avtar had maximum fruit width. The maximum number of tubers per plant was also noticed with Kufri Pukhraj with Palam Tomato hybrid −1. The potato harvested from the rootstock of Kufri Pukhraj with Avtar had the highest tuber yield per plant, total tuber yield quintal per hectare, and tuber equivalent yield. The highest survival percentage of grafted plants was noted in Heemsohna onto Kufri Jyoti. In context to the cumulative yield of tomato fruits and potato tubers obtained from the pomato graft was found to be incremented in grafts of Avtar grafted onto Kufri Pukhraj followed by Rakshita grafted onto Kufri Rakshita, which also resulted in the maximum benefit-cost ratio with highest net return and gross return. The graft combination of scion Avtar and Rakshita onto Rootstock Kufri Pukhraj resulted in a positive increment in yield attributing traits of the pomato plant than of control of un-grafted tomato and potato.

Determining Adaptability of Potato Genotypes in Mount Elgon Region of Uganda

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in Uganda is mainly produced in the highland areas of Kabale and Kisoro in south western and Bugisu and Sebei areas on the slopes of Mt. Elgon in the eastern part of the country. However, the yields have continuously reduced due to lack of suitable high yielding and disease resistant varieties. The purpose of this study was to identify high yielding disease resistant potato genotypes adapted to Mt. Elgon region. Eight CIP potato clones were evaluated alongside ten commonly grown Ugandan varieties in RCBD for two seasons at Buginyanya station, Bulambuli District. Results showed significant differences (P&lt;0.05) in tuber size, tuber uniformity, marketable tuber yield and the total tuber yield among genotypes. Potato clones 392797.22 and 398208.29 produced significantly (P&lt;0.001) higher tuber yield 44.8 t/ha and 39 t/ha respectively compared to the local check Cruza with 34.5 t/ha. rAUDPC for LB showed significant differences (P&lt;0.001) among genotypes in both seasons. The most resistant genotypes were Kinigi and clone 399985.39 with rAUDPC of 0.0135 and 0.025 respectively whereas Bumbamagara (0.413) and 396036.201 (0.392) were the most susceptible. 396036.201(0.051) and Kinigi were the most resistant genotypes for bacterial wilt while Shangi (0.66) and Cruza (0.46) were the most susceptible to BW. Generally, genotypes 392797.22 and 398208.29 were the highest yielding and disease resistant hence recommended for release as commercial varieties.

Chitosan combined with humic applications during sensitive growth stages to drought improves nutritional status and water relations of sweet potato

The current decline in freshwater resources presents a significant global challenge to crop production, a situation expected to intensify with ongoing climate change. This underscores the need for extensive research to enhance crop yields under drought conditions, a priority for scientists given its vital role in global food security. Our study explores the effects of using humic and chitosan treatments to alleviate drought stress during critical growth phases and their impact on crop yield and water efficiency. We employed four different irrigation strategies: full irrigation, 70% irrigation at the early vine development stage, 70% irrigation during the storage root bulking stage, and 85% irrigation across both stages, complemented by full irrigation in other periods. The plants received either humic treatments through foliar spray or soil application, or chitosan foliar applications, with tap water serving as a control. Our findings highlight that the early vine development stage is particularly vulnerable to drought, with a 42.0% decrease in yield observed under such conditions. In normal growth scenarios, foliar application of humic substances significantly improved growth parameters, resulting in a substantial increase in yield and water efficiency by 66.9% and 68.4%, respectively, compared to the control treatment under full irrigation. For sweet potatoes irrigated with 70% water at the storage root bulking stage, ground application of humic substances outperformed both foliar applications of chitosan and humic in terms of yield results. The highest tuber yield and water efficiency were attained by combining chitosan and humic ground applications, regardless of whether 70% irrigation was used at the storage root bulking stage or 85% irrigation during both the early vine development and storage root bulking stages.

Optimization of Urea Super Granule Boost up for the Efficiency of N and Improved the Potato Quality, Growth and Yield

Potato is the third most important food crop after wheat and rice in Bangladesh. To determine the suitable nitrogen source by observing the growth performance with a view to increasing the yield of potato, a research work was carried out at the Research Farm, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during the period from November 2018 to March, 2019. The experiment consisted of eight treatments. The experiment was laid out with Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Experimental results showed that nitrogen sources had significant effect on plant height, number of effective stem hill-1, wt. of tuber (g hill-1), yield of tubers (kg plot-1), yield of tubers (t ha-1), tuber fleshy dry matter content, specific gravity, grading of tubers (% by number). Potato production increased significantly due to the application of Urea Super Granule (USG). The highest production was observed in T3 treatment. The application of T3 treatment showed the highest wt. of tuber hill-1 (57.53g hill-1), highest tuber yield (25.77 kg plot-1), highest tuber yield (29.45 t ha-1) than any other sources of nitrogen treatments. The mean apparent recovery of Nitrogen by tested variety BARI Alu 7 (Diamant) was obtained with the application of USG in other treatment (except control) but the nitrogen use efficiency was highest in T3 treatment. Findings revealed that application of USG showed the superiority over other sources of nitrogen to produce highest tuber yield of potato and for all cases lowest results were found in T1 treatment receiving no fertilizer (control).

Growth regulators in the technology of cultivation of topinambour of the Skorospelka varie-ty

The results of field studies of the effectiveness of growth regulators Epin-Extra and Agat-25 Super in meadow-chernozem soil conditions of Penza region are presented. It is established that growth regulators play an important role in the passage of development phases and contribute to the physiological activity of the most important processes in topinambur plants. The research on studying the peculiarities of plant formation and yield of topinambour of the Skorospelka variety during tuber treatment, foliar treatment, complex treatment of tubers and double foliar treatment of plants with growth regulators Epin-Extra, Agat-25 Super was carried out. The growth regulators and their application according to the experiment scheme improved the indices of topinambur tuber yield structure and green mass in relation to the control. It was found that topinambur had the following indicators: plant height varied between 165-187.6 cm, the largest mass of the above-ground part was 1237.1 grams, the tuber yield was 26 t/ha. When forming high tuber yield, there is a direct correlation between the use of growth regulators and the method of treatment, and as a consequence of their effect on the growth and development of plants in general.

Assessment of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Performance for Yield and Quality Production under Natural Farming System in Gird Region of Madhya Pradesh, India

Objective of the Study: To assess the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) performance for yield and quality production under natural farming system in gird region of Madhya Pradesh.&#x0D; Study Design: Randomized complete block design.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute- RS, research farm Gwalior during winter (Rabi) season of 2022-2023.&#x0D; Methodology: Selected 5 plants from each treatment and replicated 3 times. Then follows methods as per given in materials and methods section of paper. Treatments T1: Control, T2: Inorganic practices (standard technology), T3: NADEP compost @ 25 t/ha + Azotobacter @ 1L/ha + PSB (Phosphorus solublizing bacteria) @ 1L/ha, T4: T3+ FYM @ 25 t/ha, T5: T3 + Vermicompost @ 7.5 t/ha, T6: T3+ neem cake @ 5 t/ha + foliar spray of copper oxychloride @ 3 g/L, T7: Integrated practice [90% RDF through inorganic sources {urea, SSP, MOP}, 10% RDF through organic sources i.e., FYM @ 25 t/ha.&#x0D; Results: Results revealed that maximum number of tubers (135.03, 144.598 and 245.344) for grade 25-50 g, 50-75 g and &gt;75 g respectively, highest number of tubers per ha (591286 at harvest), maximum yield of tubers (6.75, 10.844 and 18.40 t/ha) for grade 25-50 g, 50-75 g and &gt;75 g respectively, highest yield of tubers (37.665 t/ha), highest true density of tubers (1.123 g/cc), highest tuber dry matter (17.173%) and highest starch content (14.313%) were recorded in treatment T7. While, the maximum number of tubers (129.08) for grade (0-25 g) and, maximum yield of tubers (3.2098 t/ha) for grade (0-25 g) was found in control plot.&#x0D; Conclusion: Among 7 treatments, T7- Integrated practice (90% inorganic practices, 10% organic) found better for number of tubers in different grades, yield of tubers in different grades, total tuber yield (t/ha) and for quality parameters e.i., True density (g/cc), Tuber dry matter (%) and Tuber starch content (%).

Evaluation of Soil Temperature, Water Productivity and Agronomic Performance of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.)-Legume Intercropping System in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

Intercropping is a farming practice involving two or more crop species, growing simultaneously in the same area and which could efficiently utilize natural resources. A two-year study was conducted during 2021 and 2022 in the western highlands of Cameroon to examine the impacts of potato-legume intercropped on soil water content (SWC), productivity and soil temperature(ST) in order to identify cropping systems (CS) that controls ST and water productivity (WP). A randomised complete block design with seven treatments: sole potato crop (T1), Mucuna (T2), lima bean (T3), cowpea (T4) and intercropping systems of Mucuna+potato (T5), lima bean+potato (T6) and cowpea+potato (T7) was used. CS has a significant effect (P&lt;0.05) on ST with the lowest ST being obtained in T5 (19.50°C), T7 (19.66°C) and T6 (19.68°C) against 20.20°C in T1. SWC varied with CS (P&lt;0.05) with T1 having the lowest SWC of 40% versus T5 (47.90%), T6 (44.42%) and T7 (42.76%). Water use increased significantly (P&lt;0.05) with T1 (783.34mm) and decreased from T7 (783.32mm) to T5 (783.30mm). As for WP, T1 (2.96g.mm-1) recorded the lowest value and T5 (4.04g.mm-1) the highest. T5 had the highest tuber yield (29.60t.ha-1) and T1 the lowest (23.21t.ha-1). Legume grain yield and biomass were highest in T5 (2.10t.ha-1 and 6.78t.ha-1 respectively) compared to others intercropping systems. The intercropping systems obtained an overall LER and WER greater than 1 with the highest in T6 (6.20 and 2.63). Intercropping potato with Mucuna or lima bean reduces soil temperature while improving soil water productivity that enhances potato production.

Index‐based selection of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) genotypes for tolerance to soil moisture and ambient heat stress

AbstractDeveloping potato varieties that have enhanced tolerance to soil moisture and high‐temperature stress could improve household food and nutrition security in drought and heat prone areas. A field experiment was conducted at two locations in Ethiopia to evaluate the effectiveness of some stress tolerance indices for the identification of drought and heat tolerant potato genotypes. Treatments consisted of two irrigation regimes and 23 potato genotypes. The experiment was laid out as a split‐plot design in a factorial arrangement with three replications. Irrigation regimes were the main plot factor and genotypes were the sub‐plot factor. Stress tolerance indices were calculated based on the tuber yield under stress (Ys) and non‐stress (Yp) conditions of each genotype. To determine the most desirable stress tolerant genotypes, all indices mean rank (R) and standard deviation of the R were computed. Genotypes Cl‐12(CIP‐304371.67), Cl‐13(CIP‐304383.80), Cl‐2(CIP‐302499.30), Cl‐34(CIP‐397079.6), Cl‐15(CIP‐304394.56), and Cl‐14(CIP‐304387.39) were found to have had top mean ranks and higher tuber yield under drought and heat stress. Ranking methods using all indices best determined desirable drought, heat, and combined drought‐heat tolerant genotypes that consistently coincided with the yield rank of genotypes under a given stress condition. This implies that these indices (stress tolerance index, geometric mean productivity, mean productivity, yield stability index, and tolerance index) could be used in combination to differentiate stress tolerances and susceptible potato genotypes. It is recommended that genotypes that exhibited higher drought and/or heat stress tolerance in this study could be further evaluated in drought and heat prone areas for the development of tolerant potato varieties.

Developed the fungicide schedule for the management of early blight in potato in Rajasthan

Field experiments were conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Kota to develop a fungicide spray schedule for the management of early blight (Alternaria alternata), the most significant foliar disease of potato during the year 2018-19 and 2019-20. The protective and curative activity of fungicides were assessed in field studies. All spray schedules inhibited disease progress and enhanced total tuber yields compared with unsprayed plots. Most minor disease severity (11.40%) with the highest disease control (74.32%) was recorded in the treatment (T3), where the first spray of mancozeb 75WP (0.25%) was followed by a second spray of difenoconazole 25% EC (0.05%) and a third spray of mancozeb 75WP (0.25%) at 10 days interval was applied. The second-best treatment was T2, where the first spray of mancozeb 75WP (0.25%) was followed by a second spray of hexaconazole 5EC (0.05%) and a third spray of mancozeb 75WP (0.25%) at 10 days interval (17.10% &amp; 61.48) was applied. The higher tuber yield was achieved in the treatment T3 with the highest benefit-cost ratio (2.18). Thus, a spray schedule consisting of preventive and curative fungicides may be recommended to effectively manage early blight and higher tuber yield in south eastern Rajasthan.

Effect of zinc and boron on the performance of rainy season local potato variety “Sete” (Solanum tuberosum L.) at Rukumkot, Rukum East, Nepal

A field experiment was carried out at Rukumkot, Rukum East, Nepal during the rainy season of 2021 to study the effect of boron and zinc on vegetative growth and yield parameters of the local “Sete” variety of potato. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 4 replications, and 7 treatments i.e., control, boron @2kg/ha soil application, zinc @4.5kg/ha soil application, boron @2kg/ha + zinc @4.5kg/ha soil application, 0.1% boron spray, 0.1% zinc spray and 0.1% boron+ 0.1% zinc spray. The highest tuber yield per hill and productivity was reported in boron @2kg/ha + zinc @4.5kg/ha soil application i.e., 2888.52 grams and 27.51 ton/ha, respectively. A similar result was shown by zinc @4.5kg/ha soil application. Plant height (26.33cm, 46.57cm), number of branches (4.85, 12.02) and number of leaves per plant (30.05, 73.70) were significantly high in boron @2kg/ha + zinc @4.5kg/ha soil application at both 45 DAP (days after planting) and 60DAP. Soil application of only boron, only zinc and boron + zinc increased the total yield of tubers by 10.23%, 24.66% and 25.66%, respectively over the control. The foliar application of only boron, only zinc and boron + zinc increased the total yield of tubers by 4.22%, 2.07% and 12.37%, respectively over the control. Hence, research suggested combined soil application of zinc and boron at the rate of 4.5kg/ha and 2kg/ha, respectively over the foliar cum solitary application of micronutrients for increasing number of medium and large sized tubers and get an overall high yield of potato.

Responses of yield, quality and water use efficiency of potato grown under different drip irrigation and nitrogen levels

Proper irrigation and fertilization are essential for achieve high tuber yield and quality in potato production. However, the high cost of these inputs necessitate optimization of their use to improve both water use efficiency and crop productivity. This study aimed to investigate the impact of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on potato yield, quality and water use efficiency. The research included different drip irrigation treatments (100%, 66%, and 33% of field capacity) and nitrogen levels: 0 (N0), 100 (N1), 200 (N2), 300 (N3), 400 (N4) and 500 (N5) kg N ha−1. The results indicated that potato yield and growth were more sensitive to irrigation treatment than nitrogen levels. Full irrigation with 300 kg N ha−1 produced the highest total tuber yield, while low irrigation treatments resulted in significantly lower yields. In contrast, the 66% field capacity irrigation treatment consistently had the highest water use efficiency in both years of the study. Furthermore, the study showed that the quality characteristics of the tubers were negatively impacted by full irrigation treatments compared to low irrigation. These findings suggest that with appropriate irrigation and nitrogen application, potatoes can be produced with acceptable yields while conserving water and minimizing nitrogen use. This research emphasizes the importance of optimizing inputs to improve water use efficiency and yield productivity while reducing water. As a result, obtaining useful information on crop management for farmers to make informed decisions may be possible by achieving optimal irrigation and nitrogen levels.

THE EFFICIENCY OF USING ALTERNATIVE FERTILIZERS IN POTATO PLANTATIONS

Field trials with the two potato variety were carried out in sod stagnogley soil. Soil agrochemical parameters: pHKCl 6.7 organic matter (OV) content in soil 2.3%, phosphorus (P2O5) content - 149 mg kg-1 and potassium (K2O) content - 200 mg kg-1 in soil. Potato plantations were created using different variants of fertilizer mix with pig (from SIA “Latvi Dan Agro”) and cattle (from SIA “Ziedi JP”) manure digestate and wood ash (from SIA“Gren Jelgava”) in different ratio (digestate :wood ash ratio used: 4:1and 3:1). The rates of innovative mixed fertilizer for pig and cattle manure digestates for potatoes were 15 and 30 t ha-1. Both norms for digestate manure from pure pigs and cattle were used as control options. The potato production norm was 3.0 t ha-1. The placement of the variants in the trial was randomized, in triplicate. In the study, the two types of fertilizer had different effects on potato tuber yield. Using mixtures of pig manure digestate and wood ash in different ratios, the average yield was 34.2 t ha-1, but using mixtures of cattle manure digestate and wood ash, the average yield was 27.8 t ha-1. In the studied variants, its content in potato dry matter varied in the range of 9.15-11.42%. The amount of dry matter affects the culinary properties of the tubers. The application of fertilizer mixtures increased the dry matter content by an average of 1.7–2.7%. Fertilizer variants with higher tuber yield or higher starch content provided the highest starch yield. In general, the use of mixtures of wood ash and biogas digestate to fertilize crops and improve soil fertility can be an efficient way to process both products and can be an environmentally friendly alternative to fertilizers. The objective of the research was to study the influence of digestate and wood ash mixtures fertilizer rates on potato productivity and quality.

Yield and Post-Harvest Pest Status of Some White Yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir.) Landraces in Uyo Southeastern Nigeria

Field experiment was conducted at National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI),Uyo out- Station in 2012 and 2013 to evaluated yield and post-harvest pest status of some yam landraces in Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), replicated thrice. Treatments were eight white yam landraces; Nwopoko, Obiotorugo, Offala, Hambakwashe, Aloshi, Udeanyi, Pepa and Eteme and one improved yam cultivar TDr 89/02665. Data obtained from yield and pest severity were subjected to analysis of variance. Result showed that Hambakwase produced significant tuber yield of 31.10 and 33.01 t/ha in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Obioturugo produced 28.18 and 28.02 t/ha, respectively. Eteme produced the least tuber yield of 16.23 and 15.33 t/ha. Udanyi had significant higher number of rotten tubers per plot at harvest; 2.41 and 2.08 in both years. At 3 months in storage, Offala had significant dry rot of 1.73 and 2.01, followed by 1.61 and 0.91 dry rot tubers per plot, recorded in Aloshi. Number of wet rot tubers per plot as influenced by white yam landraces at 3 months storage varied significantly different (p&lt;0.05). Udanyi had significant higher number of wet tuber rot; 4.30 and 3.22 in 2012 and 2013. Presence of mealy bug infestation were seen Offala, Aloshi,Udanyi and Eteme in 2012. In 2013, Offala, Udanyi, Eteme and TDr 89/02665 had mealy bug infestation. .Among the yam landraces, scale insects were observed in the following; Obioturugo, Hambakwase and Udanyi in 2012 while in 2013, Obioturugo, Udanyi and Eteme had presence of scale insect in tubers at 3 months storage. This study therefore recommended Hambakwase and Nwopok for high tuber yield, less susceptible to rot, beetle and termite attack. Also, these promising yam landraces showed be incorporated into yam breeding programme in Nigeria.