Adaptability and Performance Evaluation of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) varieties under irrigation for Tuber Yield

Potato is an important food security crop and a major source of household income for smallholder farmers in highlands of Ethiopia. However, lack of well adapted varieties across the potential agro-ecologies for potato production and productivity are one of the constraints that account for low yield and small area cropped to the nation. So that adaptability of crops can vary from location to location depending on the agro-ecologies of a particular area. Therefore, it is essential to conduct location specific adaptation trial to identify suitable varieties. Accordingly, an adaptation trial of potato varieties was conducted in central highlands of Ethiopia with the objective of evaluating the performance and adaptability of introduced and improved varieties in different potato growing agro-ecologies of the country. Treatments include five potato varieties introduced from Republic of South Korea (Chubak, Seohong, Goun, Jowon, Haryung) and three nationally released varieties (Awash, Gudanie and Belete) were evaluated for their vegetative growth performance and tuber yield under irrigation conditions. The experimental field was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results revealed that plant height, main stem number, average tuber number and average tuber weight per plot were highly significant. Belete variety had the highest plant height (65.43cm) and stem numbers of 6.58 per hill whereas; Chubak variety had the lowest plant height (26.22 cm) and stem number 3.57 per hill among the other varieties. Potato variety Haryung gave the highest average tuber number (52.73/ m2) followed by Gown (42.39). The highest total yield (30.08 t/ha) and marketable tuber yield (17.72t/ha) recorded for Gudanie variety followed by Haryung (27.09 t/ha) and (18.48 t/ha) and Seohong (25.54t/ha) and (19.44t/ha), respectively. Finally, the result of the study revealed that the genotype and growing environment has a great influence on yield and yield components of potato tubers. It is concluded that the study evidently demonstrated the effect of varietal difference on the growth potential of potato varieties under irrigation or for short rain-fed areas. Thus, in both seasons among the introduced potato varieties Haryung and Seohong were well adapted and gave a comparative tuber yield with nationally released potato varieties and can be used as alternative varieties in potato producing regions of the country especially under irrigation and short rain fed conditions.

Keywords: Potato; Adaptation; Vegetative growth; Total tuber yield; Marketable tuber yield