POTATO
Introduction
❖ Solanum tuberosum
❖ Family
❖ Solanaceae (nightshade)
❖ There are approximately 150 species in the genus Solanum,
which are tuber-bearing
❖ tetraploids, triploids, diploids
❖ The cultivated potato is a tuber-bearing tetraploid specie
❖ (2n = 4x = 48)
❖ Has 4 sets of chromosomes
❖ The centre of origin:
❖ Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador
Introduction
❖ An important staple food crop.
❖ 4th leading world crop after wheat, rice, corn.
❖ The potato behaves as an annual dicot when grown from
botanical seeds.
❖ But, it is short-lived perennial.
❖ The tuber is the:
❖primary storage organ and major human food source.
❖main commercial propagule for potato.
Nutritional Value
• Tuber has about 70-75% water, 25-30% dry matter.
• It is a rich source of starch (about 15-20%).
• It also contains protein (but low in essential amino acid
methionine) and minerals.
• It also has noticeable amount of vitamins, particularly vitamin A
& C (in tissue near periderm).
Potato Usage Data (FAOSTAT, 2011)
• Can be cooked alone or with meat, fish, chicken and vegetables.
• Used to make Chips & Crisps.
• Fresh consumption 48%
• Processing 11% (2% of it is for starch production)
• Vegetative propagation 13%
• Stock feed 20%
• Wasted 8%
Production Statistics for the Year
2017-2018 (MNFSR, 2018)
• Cultivated through out the world.
• In Pakistan
– Area 194 thousand ha
– Yield 4447.8 thousand tonnes (4.45 million tonnes)
– Average yield is 22.93 tonnes/ha
• Contribution of various crops
– Autumn crop----65%
– Spring crop------20%
– Summer crop----15%
Major Potato Producing Areas in Pakistan
• Punjab (92%)
– Okara (28%), Sahiwal (16%), Sialkot (10%), Kasur
(9%), Pakpatan (7%).
• KPK (6%)
– Nowshehra (18%), Swat (18%), Mardan (9%), Dir
(11%), Mansehra (9%) contribute 65%.
• Balochistan (2%)
– Kila Saifullah (48%), Kallat (19%), Pishin (13%).
• Sindh (<1%)
– Khairpur (33%), Shikarpur (27%).
• Northern Areas
– Hunza & Gilgit
Botany
• Stems
– Erect, initially smooth and later on become
branched.
• Growth habit
– Compact to sprawling
– Depends upon cv, stage of development &
environment
• Leaves are compound, pinnate
Botany
• Enlarged tubers on the end of under ground
stems called tubers.
• Growth of stolons and tuber development is
favoured by short days and cool temperature in
most of the cultivars.
• Tuber skin may be rough or smooth.
• Flesh colour can be light yellow or white, but can
be purple or orange red.
• Tuber buds near stolons exhibit dominance over
distal buds; can be overcome by cutting.
Botany
• Plant has relatively weak and
shallow root system.
Growth Stages
Climate
• Potato is a cool season crop, moderately tolerant to frost, damaged if -2.5 ºC
prevails for long time.
• Temperature is the most important factor influencing yield of potato.
• Young plant growth is the best at 24 ºC.
• Tuber initiation is favored by temperature of about 15.5 to 18.3 ºC.
• Tuber production is:
– maximum at 20 ºC
– Ceases at 30 ºC
• Short days are beneficial for tuber production.
• Long days with high temperature completely inhibit tuber development.
Soil
❖ Deep, fertile, sandy to clay loam soils are preferable for potato.
❖ Soil compaction greatly reduce potato yield, tuber shape and
quality.
❖ Soil should have good water retention.
❖ Soil should have good aeration for root and tubers development.
❖ pH should be 5.5-6.5; below 5.5 scab disease can be controlled.
❖ Deep ploughing is done to have a good tilth.
Fertilizers
❖ Potato requires high amount nutrients.
❖ FYM @ 30 tonnes/ha should be added 3 to 4 weeks before planting.
❖ Trail conducted in Punjab:
❖ N@ 100 kg/ha
❖ P2O5 @ 80-100 kg/ha
❖ K2O @ 50 kg/ha
❖ If fertilizers are applied at higher rate then yield will increase
❖ NPK @ 125:33:75 kg/ha (benefit:cost ratio 5.10:1)
❖ NPK @ 220:75:111 kg/ha (benefit:cost 11.59:1)
❖ Fertilizers can be broadcasted or placed in bands.
Planting & Harvesting Time
Area/Crop Planting time Harvesting time
Plains/Autumn crop Sept-Oct. Nov.-Feb
Plains/Spring crop Mid to end of January March-April
Hill/Summer crop April-May Aug.-Sept.
Seed Rate (Seed Potato)
• Autumn 2500-3000 kg/ha
• Spring 1500-2000 kg/ha
• Summer 1500-2000 kg/ha
• For autumn crop, whole tubers are used
as seed material.
• For spring and summer crop, tubers can
be divided into 2-3 pieces with 2-3 buds on
each piece...\Lectures spring 2014\Potato
movie\videoplayback seed cutting.mp4
Spacing
• In plains
• Ridge sowing: 15 to 30cm
• R X R : 60-75 cm
• In hilly area, tubers are planted in furrows,
• Ridge sowing: 15 to 30cm
• R X R : 60 cm
• Planting depth should be:
– 10 cm for spring & summer crop
– 15 cm for autumn crop.
Potato Planters
Irrigation
• Keep soil moist for the entire growing season but at the
time of tuber formation should not be very high.
• There should be no drought stress during tuber
development.
• Irrigate at weekly interval; water requirement 10-20
inch. Knobbiness due to
watering after drought
• Total 9 irrigations are required for autumn and spring
crop.
• Number of irrigations can be increased up to 12 if
environment is dry.
• Hill crop in Kalam requires 2-6 irrigations, depending on
rainfall.
Hollow heart due
excessive rapid growth
Cultural Practices
• First hoeing should be done quite early
because:
– soil compaction is usual after faulty irrigation
– weed growth is fast before crop emergence.
• For weed control use stomp and/or Dual
gold as pre-emergence herbicides.
• Earthing up after 30 to 40 days increases
tuber yield.
Harvesting and Yield
❖ Yield is 20-25 t/ha
❖ The size of the tuber continue to increase until the vines become dry.
❖ Potatoes can be harvested manually using spade or by using mechanical
harvester. ..\Lectures spring 2014\Potato movie\Chipping Potato Harvest in Oregon-SD.mp4 ..\Lectures spring
2014\Potato movie\MVI_5459.MOV
❖ Tubers should not be injured during harvesting.
❖ After harvesting, tubers should be placed in shade for curing.
❖ If tubers are left in sunlight, they develop green colour.
Storage
• For several months
– 1-2 C & 95% RH
• Conversion of starch to sugars is
prevented
– at 10-13 C and 95% RH
Varieties
❖Red Skinned • White Skinned
❖Cardinal – Diamont
❖Desiree – Sante
❖Symphonia – Musica
❖Lady Roseta
❖Karuda
❖SH-704
❖Astrex
Diseases
• Wilt
– Chlorosis, drying and wilting of leaves
• Brown rot
– Wilting, yellowing and necrosis
• Early Blight
• Late Blight
• Wet and storage rot of tuber
• Dry rot
Symptoms of Diseases
• Powdery Scab
• Common Scab
Symptoms of Diseases
• Wart
• Black Scurf
Symptoms of Diseases
• Watery Wound
(Pythium)
Late Blight
Early Blight
Verticillium Wilt
Verticillium Wilt
Fusarium Dry Rot
Potato Viruses
• Potato Leaf Roll Virus (65-70%)
– Spring 40-60%
– Autumn 7-14%
• PVY (65-70%)
• PVX (10-30%)
• PVS (10-30%)
• PVA (10-30%)
Symptoms of viruses
Symptoms of viruses
Integrated Control Measures for Viruses
Integrated Control Measures for Viruses
• Aphids
INSECTS
–Suck sap and spread viral diseases.
–Use Confidor, Sanitox, Bifenthrin
• Potato tuber moth
–Caterpillar mines in leaves and shoots and cause
leaf blotches and death of shoots.
–Moths lay eggs in tubers and on hatching larvae
penetrate in skin of tubers and make galleries.
–Use Polytrin-C, Emamectin, Match.
• Nematode
–Infested plant look sickly and stunted, lower leaves
become yellow and get dropped.
–Tuber may also get infected.
• Stink bugs
–Nymphs and adults suck sap.
