No abstract

Open Agriculture. 2017; 2: 155-159 length was significantly affected by nutrient solutions. Nutrient solution C resulted the maximum root length (300.8 cm), while nutrient solution A produced minimum root length (135.5 cm). Plant height was not significantly affected by nutrient solutions. Small size tubers (<8 g) were not significantly affected by either tuber number or weight. Medium (8-12 g) and large size tubers (>12 g) were significantly affected by nutrient solutions both in number and weight. The maximum tuber numbers was obtained from treatment B. Therefore, the experiment indicated that treatment B represents the optimum nutrient concentration rate to use in an aeroponics minituber production system under Holetta conditions.

Quality seed is one of the major bottlenecks hampering the production and productivity of potato not only in Ethiopia but also in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 1970’s, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research has generated a number of improved potato production technologies such as improved varieties with accompanying agronomic practices, crop protection measures, postharvest handling techniques and utilization options. The developed technologies were promoted from 2013-2015 via technology promotion and popularization to the Wolmera, Adea-Bera and Ejere districts with the objective of creating awareness and up scaling of improved potato production and utilization technologies. The Potato Improvement Research Program and the Research and Extension Division of Holetta Research Center in collaboration with extension staff of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) undertake this activity. The farmers were selected and organized in Farmer Field Schools and all stakeholders were engaged before distributing potato seeds and planting on selected farmers’ fields for demonstrating of potato production technologies. A total of 899 farmers and 40 agricultural experts were trained and 27.7, 9 and 5.5 tons of quality seeds of Gudanie, Jalenie and Belete potato varieties, respectively, were delivered as a revolving seed with their recommended agronomic packages; this amount of seed covered 21.1 ha. A total of 16 farmer groups from Wolmera, 7 from Adea-Berga, and 11 from Ejere participated. They produced over 434 tons of relatively clean seed and constructed 8 diffused light stores. In addition to the demonstration of improved potato varieties, information dissemination was also an important component of the program to raise awareness for a large numbers of potato growers through farmers’ field days, pamphlets, and mass media. Each year about three field days were organized and more than 1500 pamphlets were distributed to farmers invited from neighboring districts and ‘Kebeles’ to enhance speed. Through this intervention farmers are now harvesting a yield of about 26-34 t/ha up from 8t/ha when they were using inferior quality potato seed; this has made the farmers in the intervention area more food secure especially during the usually food scarce months of August to October when cereal crops are generally yet to mature. The farmers are also getting additional income from the sale of excess potato and are able to better meet other necessary costs like school fees, for their children.

This experiment was conducted to determine the rate of blended fertilizers and urea for potato production under rainfed condition in Jeldu, West Showa, Ethiopia. Different fertilizer treatments viz., 150 kg ha-1 NPSB+80 kg ha-1 urea, 250 kg ha-1 NPSB+80 kg ha-1 urea, 350 kg ha-1 NPSB+80 kg ha-1 urea, 150 kg ha-1 NPSB+140 kg ha-1 urea, 250 kg ha-1 NPSB+140 kg ha-1 urea, 350 kg ha-1 NPSB+140 kg ha-1 urea, 150 kg ha-1 NPSB +200 kg ha-1 urea, 250 kg ha-1 NPSB +200 kg ha-1 urea and 350 kg ha-1 N+200 kg ha-1 urea was used for the production of Belete and Gudenie potato varieties (cv. Jeldu Wereda) during 2018-2019 using RCBD factorial arrangement in three replication. This study revealed that there was a highly significant difference between the yield and yield components of potato due to the main effect of fertilizer rates. The interaction did not significantly affect any parameter of potato during the study. The highest total and marketable yields (22.95 t ha-1 and 20.06 t ha-1), respectively were harvested from 350 kg ha-1 NPSB+200 kg ha-1 urea though not significantly different from total and marketable yield of 250 kg ha-1 NPSB+200 kg ha-1 urea (22.08 and 19.14 t ha-1) and 350 kg ha-1 + 140 kg ha-1 urea (21.65 and 18.84 t ha-1), respectively. The partial budget analysis indicated that the highest benefit (64,916.00ETB) was fetched from 350 kg ha-1 NPSB+200 kg ha-1 urea followed by 250 kg ha-1 NPSB+200 kg ha-1 urea (63,004.00ETB) while the highest marginal rate of return (19,430.00%) was recorded from 250 kg ha-1 NPSB+200 kg ha-1 followed by 150 kg ha-1 NPSB+200 kg ha-1 urea (17,000.00%). From this, it can be concluded that the NPSB+ urea rates highly significantly affected the yield and yield component of potato. Thus, 250 kg ha-1 urea+200 kg ha-1 urea can be used for high yield and high economic return of potato in Jeldu district.