Evaluation of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Varieties for Yield and Some Agronomic Traits

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>A field experiment was conducted in the central highlands of Ethiopia to evaluate the performance of potato varieties for tuber yield and to identify a superior variety in tuber yield and yield components. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications at two locations in the central highlands of Ethiopia during the 2017 main cropping season. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed the presence of highly significant (P&lt;0.01) differences among varieties over all traits studied. The mean squares for location were also significant in indicating the influence of environments on the traits of the studied varieties. However, the interaction between variety and environment had no significant effect on the performances of the potato varieties to attain 50% flowering, specific gravity and dry matter content indicating a similar performance of these traits across all locations. The variety Belete produced the maximum total tuber yield of 32.8 t ha <jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> and marketable tuber yield of 29.1 t ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup>. Conversely, farmers` variety Nech Abeba produced the minimum total tuber yield of 13.8 t ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> and marketable tuber yield of 8.4 t ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup>. For most tuber quality traits, viz., tuber specific gravity, dry matter content, starch percentage and total starch yield, varieties Belete and Menagesha were the maximum and minimum producers, respectively. Thus, it could be concluded that varietal and environmental variations as well as their interaction had considerable influence on tuber yield and the potato’s attributes.</jats:p>

Enhancing Production of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.): Evidence from Demonstration and Participatory Evaluation of Improved Potatoes in Kellam and West Wollega Zones

“…The local variety with improved management practices gave 22.2ton ha -1 . This is in line with the study of (Tessema et al, 2020;Jafar et al, 2020;Alo and Geremew, 2021;Hailu et al, 2020;Kassaw et al, 2021;Alo and Geremew, 2021b;Befikadu et al, 2019) which reported Belete superiority over other varieties. The yield of Belete was 26% lower of its potential yield (figure 1).…”

Soil and Water Management Practices as a Strategy to Cope with Climate Change Effects in Smallholder Potato Production in the Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia

“…Among the varieties grown in the districts, the improved varieties Gudane (24.1%) and Bubu (21.3%) as well as the farmers' (local) cultivar Jarso (17.6%) were the major ones (Figure 2). The Gudane variety and Jarso cultivar were early maturing compared with the Bubu variety [41]. The Bubu and Gudane varieties had comparable average tuber yields.…”

Improving Potato Yield Prediction by Combining Cultivar Information and UAV Remote Sensing Data Using Machine Learning

“…Potato yield is typically associated with seed quality as well as site-specific interactions between cultivars and environment conditions. The effects of soil type [16], nutrients [17,18], crop management practices [19,20], cultivar [21,22], seed quality [1,23], and weather conditions [24][25][26] on potato production have been explored extensively. Recent studies that incorporated multi-source data in yield prediction and nitrogen (N) recommendations have achieved better results than studies based on remote sensing data alone.…”