Evaluation of Planting Date and Different Inorganic NP Fertilizer Rates for Irish Potato (<i>Solanum tuberosum L.</i>) Production at Bore, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at Bore Agricultural Research Center on station for three consecutive years' main cropping seasons with the aim to adjust planting date and fertilizer rate for Irish Potato production. Four level of fertilizer rate (0, 61.5, 82, and 114 kg Nitrogen and 0, 69, 92, and 115kg P ha-1 and planting date Immediately rain season (T1), 7days after rain (T2), 15days after rain (T3), 3 weeks later (T4). The treatments were arranged in RCBD in factorial arrangement with 3 replications. Tubers were planted on plot size of 4 m x 5m at spacing of 1m between plot, 1.5m b/n block, 70 cm between rows and 30cm between plants. The variety used in this experiment was Gudane. Based on the combined analysis of variance treatments over three consecutive years indicated that interaction effect of Planting Date and Different Fertilizer Rate significantly (P<0.001) affected Days to 50% emergency, maturity, plant height, stem number, number of tubers, and fresh tuber yield. However, parameters days to flowering and average tuber weight are non-significant (P<0.05) difference between each treatment means. The combined effect of immediate planting date (T1) with control (no nutrient) treatment (R1) recorded shortest (9.55 days) to emergency and early days to maturity (104.22days). And also regarding plant height the maximum (74.28 cm) plant height was recorded for treatment planted at first planting date with combined nutrient application of 114 kg N* 115 kg P. The interaction effect of immediate planting date with 82 kg N*92 kg P 2 O 5 shows significant (P<0.05) maximum (9.1) stem number of potato. The maximum number of tubers (9.88, 9.66 and 9.44) was observed when tubers were planted at first week and applied with 82 kg N+92 kg P; 114kg N+115 kg P and second week with 82 kg N+92 kg P of fertilizer rates respectively. The highest Total tubers yield (41821 kg ha-1 and 41395 kg ha-1) were obtained from T 1 R 3 (Immediate planting with combined nutrient of 82 kg N* 92 kg P 2 O 5) and T 2 R 3 (Immediate planting with combined nutrient of 82 kg N* 92 kg P 2 O 5) respectively.

Pre-Extension Demonstration of Irish Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) in Midlands of Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

“…This result was lower than the study of Korji and Kebede (2017) who harvested 26.6t/ha from Gudane variety. In addition, the result of Tilahun (2018) showed that from Gudane 40.72 t/ha and Teshome et al, (2023) reported 23.59 t/ha of Zemen was harvested. The finding of this study was higher than the results of Dembi et al, (2020) and ESS (2022) where Gudane variety can gave 14.9 t/ha at highlands of Guji zone and the national yield of potato was 16.68 t/ha respectively.…”