PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF POTATO

1. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF POTATO
Botanical description
 Common name : Potato
 Scientific name: solanum tuberosum
 order:Solanales
 Family: Solanaceae
IMPORTANCE OF POTATO
 Potato is fourth major food crop after rice,wheat and maize in
the world.
 Potato was rich source of starch which produces in short period
of time.
 The edible part of potato is modified underground stem.
 Potato is processed into chips,french fries,canned foods,etc.
 Solanin content is 5 mg/100g.
 Potato is highly nutritious,easily digestible and wholesome
food.
Origin: South America
Distribution :
 In world, china stands first ,India stands second in
production.
 Area and production
 Hassan is stands first in karnataka both in terms of area
& production of potato.
 Kolar is second largest producer.

2. varieties are Kufri himalini, kufri surya, kufri himsona,Kufri chipsona-
1,2,3,4,Kufri Jyothi,Kufri surya, Kufri bhadshah,Kufri chandramukh,
Kufri chipsona-1,kufri chipsona-2, kufri chipsona-3
Soil and climate
 Friable,porous,well drained sandy loam to clay loam soils
are well suitable.
 The Ph range is 5.5-7.5
 A cool season crop so low temperature,low humidity and
bright sunny days are required.
 Optimum temperature is 25°c for germination of
tubers;20°c for vegetative growth;17-19°c for tuber
growth.
 If temperature >30,tuber formation stops.
 Rainfall requirement for the potato is 120-200 cm of
annual rainfall.
PLANTING SEASON
 Potato is planted during the end of june to early july for
kharif season.
 For rabi, it was planted during early november
Propagation of potato
 Potato is vegetatively propagated using seed tubers.
 Tuber requirement: Irrigated :1500-2000 kg/ha
Rainfed :1000-1250kg/ha
 Large tubers are cut and make 2 halves.
Weight :30-40 gms
diameter:3.5-5cm

3.  Cut tubers are covered with gunny bags for 2-3 days for
 suberization,otherwise it wil lead to rotting.
Pre sprouting
 Potato has tuber dormancy for 8-10 weeks,so the seed
tubers are stored.
 Potato seed tubers after removing from cold storage
should be kept in diffused light for 10-15 days to develop
short,thick and green sprouts.
 Tubers treated with 1% thiourea+1ppm GA3 for 1 hour
breaks dormancy.
Method of planting
 Ridges and furrow is the most popular method of planting
potato.
 Spacing :60cm×20cm
 Sproted tubers /cut seed pieces are planted in these
furrows at 20-25 cm sprout facing upwards.
 Furrows are made at 60 cm distance.
 Cover the tubers by making ridges of about 15 cm height
over the furrows.
Manures and fertilizers
 15-30 tons of FYM is given at planting time.
 Irrigated: 125:100:125 kg/ha NPK ,Rainfed:
75:75:100kg/haNPK
 SSP and MOP is given at time of planting.
Irrigation
 Usually irrigation is not given in Kharif season.
 If rains are irregular,1-2 light irrigation are given.

4.  10-12 irrigations are given at 10 days interval.
Interculture
 2 weedings are done,1 immediately before earthing up
and the 2nd
50-60 days after planting.
 Earthing up should be done about 25 days after planting.
 Earthing up helps in better tuber development and avoid
potato tuber moth.
 If tubers are left exposed to sunlight they will start to
synthesize anthocyanin and chlrophyll and the chlrophyll
checks accumulation of starch in tubers resulting in small
tubers with bitter taste due to solanin.
Tuber formation
 Potato bears tubers at stolon end.
 The stolon arises from the lower nodes and starts to form
20-25 days after planting
 Usually,tubers start to form in about 30-35 days after
planting from the apical and sub apical region of the
stolon.
Dehaulming
 Dehaulming or haulms cutting is practised 10-12 days
before harvesting to help the potato skin to mature
quickly by removing active haulms once potatoes reach
maturity
 Very essential for seed potatoes and to store in cold
storages.
Harvesting

5.  The time of harvesting potato depends on variety, market
price,weather condtions.
 Early varieties mature in 80 days,medium varieties 90-100
days and late varieties 100-120 days.
 The kharif crop comes to harvest during the end of
september to early october and the rabi crop by the end
of january to early february.
 Sometimes, potatoes harvested early to fetch high market
price and harvested at full maturity will have better shelf
life.
 Potatoes are harvested using hand khurpas ,spade
,country plough and potato diggers.
Yield
 Early varieties:20-25 tons/ha
 Late varieties:30-35 tons/ha
 Seed crop :20-25 tons/ha
Disadvantages of seed tubers
 40% of total production of potato cultivation by tubers.
 Bulky nature of tubers is a problem for transportion and it
increses seed cost
 Inadequate supply of seed tubers at an affordable cost to
distant places.
 Transmission of viral diseases through tubers.
 Storage losses due to rotting of tubers
Seed plot technique to grow quality seed tubers was developed
by Dr.Pushkarnath.

6. True potato seed[TPS]
 This technique was developed by Dr.S.Ramanujan,First
director of CPRI.
 TPS is the matured ovule of potato resulting from sexual
fertilization.
 These seeds are raised in nursery and then transplanted
into main field.
Advantages
 It reqired in small quantity of 100-150 g.
 Free from viral diseases.
 Storage loss of seed tubers can be avoided.
 Low pest and diseases and low cost of production.
 HPS 1/13,HPS 11/13 And 24/111 are the hybrids in TPS.
Physiological disordersof Potato
 Black or hallow heart
 Greening
 Sprouting in storage
 Dormancy
Black or hallow heart
 central tissues of affected large tubers show dark black
discolouration due to sub oxidation[black heart.
 In advanced stage,the affected tissues dry and seperate to
form cavities [hallow heart].

7.  Control:Provide proper ventilation in storage and during
transportation,store the tubers in cold storage at 2.2°c-
3.3°c
Greening
 Tubers turn green when exposed to direct sun light.
 The green pigment produced is solanin which is poisonous
and unfit for consumption.
 control:earthing up should be done to avoid the exposure
of tubers to direct sunlight
Sprouting in storage
o Makes the produce unfit for consumption.
o Control:spray with maleic hydrazide
@3000ppmat 15 days before harvesting .store
the potato tubers in cold storage@2-4°c and 90-
95% RH.
o Dormancy
The dormancy cause delay and erratic crop
stand in the field .
o It becomes serious problem particularly when
2crops are to be taken in rotation and when
tubers produced in hills are used to raise the crop
in plains of India just after harvesting.
o Control:use chemicals to break dormancy or use
varieties having short dormancy period.
Diseases

8.  Early blight of potato
 Late blight of potato
 Purple top roll
Pests
 Mosaic
 Aphids
 Leaf hoppers
 Potato tuber moth
 Mite infestation
 Epilachna beetle
Processedproducts
 French fries
 Potato chips
 Smashed potatoes
 Baked potatoes
 Vodka