POTATO

Dr.P.Prashanth
Assistant Professor (Hort.) Sr. Scale
C. No. VSC 501 – PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF COOL SEASON VEGETABLE CROPS
Importance:
•Substitute for cereals
•Staple food
•Vegetable
• Boiled, mashed, baked, fried and cooked in sambar, along with fish and meat
•Processed – dehydrated, canned, fried, sliced, chips, flakes, French fries, finger
chips, discs, cubes, flour
Industry:
•Starch - large grained 25% amylase and 73% amylopectin and high phosphate
•Alcohol
•Glucose
•Dextrin
Medicinal value:
•Easy to digest – more CHO
•natural fibre – for appetite and easy bowel movement
•More of K and less of Na – good for B.P.
•More in Vit C - Reduces bleeding and spongy gums, cold
•Instant antidote for inflammation – Potato extract reduces swelling
•Cures intestinal problems
•Neutral taste safe for mouth ulcers
•Raw pulp in skin care – with honey removes skin spots and pimples infections
•Elbow joint and knees smooth
•High Mg reduces deposition of Ca in kidney, prevents formation of stones in
kidney
MEDAK, CHITTOR
Kufri Chandramuki, Jyothi,
Badshah, swarna, Pukhraj,
Surya, Himsona
Adaptations in India:

Portugese to Bengal – Saptagram, Hooghly in 1535 AD

Second Evidence – from Scotland by East India Companty to Chakla Burdwan

(Bangladesh)

Surat and karnataka in 1675 and Nilagiri hills 1822 AD

Long duration varieties from England - not suitable for India

CPRI - Systematic breeding

Kingdom: Plantae

(unranked): Asterids

Order: Solanales

Family: Solanaceae

Genus: Solanum

Species: S. tuberosum

Binomial name

Solanum tuberosum
L.
 TAXONOMY:
Series: Tuberosa
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
2000 Species - 200- 235 are tuber forming –
Section : Petota, Sub Section : Potatoe
Cultivated two important Auto tetraploids Potatoes –
Solanum tuberosum sub sps tuberosum (2n=48) – Europe, USA, Canada, Asia
Shorter and thicker stem
Less dissected leaves with wider leaflets, arched
Tuber white and oval
Tuberization under long day in temperate and short day in tropical
Solanum tuberosum sub sps andigena (2n=48) – Andes of South America
Thin and long stem
Narrow and more number of leaflets
Leaves at acute angle to stem
Long stolons and deep eyed tubers
Tuberization only under short day conditions (high altitudes< 2000 m)
BOTANY:

STEM:
Upper part of the sprout
Aerial stem – erect, firm, spreading, weak or flexible, solod or hallow
Terminal portion solid
Stem is triangular, with 2 wings along sides
STOLON:
Under ground stems, branched terminates into tubers
ROOTS:
Adventitious root system from base of each sprout
LEAF:
Compound, pinnate with several pairs of leaflets
Leaflets opposite
Terminal leaflet is larger and older
Stipule is present – curved and half blade like
Spiral arrangement
TUBER:
Outer skin – Periderm followed by cortex
Medulla – inner most core (bulk flesh)
Outer medulla – radiating band of light colour not
rich in starch
Vascular ring – Separates cortex and medulla

Density of starch is more in tissue surrounding

vascular ring
Protein and mineral salts in the cortex
SPROUT:

Buds grow to give sprout

Sprout into 3 parts

1.Base – short part of sprout forms underground

stem

2.Mid part – long ends into a leafy apex

develops into above ground parts

3.Tip – Meristamatic region represents growing

part of the stem

INFLORESCENCE:

Simple or rarely compound

Simple – primary axis divides into secondary – chyme

Compound - secondary to tertiary and further

FLOWER:

Bisexual and complete

Calyx – 5 to 8 mm, 5 sepals, united 1/4th to ½ of length
Pigmented or green
Corolla – white, pink blue, red purple or blue purple
Androecium – five conical anthers, cone
Green, Lemon yellow, pale yellow, orange yellow, deep orange yellow
Cultivated sps large anthers
Pollen – oval
Gynoecium – ovary – bicarpellary, syncarpous and superior with axile placentation
style long(11 mm), medium (7-11 mm) and short (<7 mm)
Stigma - constant
FRUIT:

Berry, Green turn to yellowish in maturity

Numerous seeds on periphery of placenta
Seed is 1.5 mm in length, thin flattened oval
BREEDING BEHAVIOUR:

Flowering sparingly – cool climate, long days (15 hr), moderate RH

Self pollinated – Some CP - protruding stigma and self incompatibility

Low pollen - male sterility

Anthesis – 5 AM to 8 AM

True potato seeds

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT:
CLIMATE:
Adapted to cool climate
Winter crop in plains and summer in hills

Temperature:
Effects – dormancy, sprouting, stem elongation, leaf formation, tuber initiation and
development
•High temp – more respiration less storage of CHO
•Low temperature at tuberization phase
•Long days,high temp – Vegetative growth, Short days, low temp. tuber growth
•15-200C optimum for balanced growth and tuberization
•Tuberization highest – day 200C/ night 140C
•Max. temp of 340C and min. of 200C
•No tuberization night temperature is above 21 0C
LIGHT:
Intensity –
3000 ft. candles for normal photosynthesis
Duration – short day in plains – stunted growth, early tuberization, bulking
14 short day cycles, each of 8 hr light and 15 hr dark
SOIL:
All soils red, black, sandy
Mildly alkaline to acidic, pH 7.2 to 8.5, ideal 5.0 to 6.8
Higher yields – sandy loam to silt loam rich in organic matter and well drained
POTATO VARIETIES

Potato varieties: 48 (as on November 2013)

Table varieties: 43

Kufri Kisan, Kufri Kuber, Kufri Kumar, KufriK undan,

Kufri Red, Kufri Safed, Kufri Neela, Kufri Sindhuri, Kufri Alankar, Kufri Chamatkar,
Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Jeevan, Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Khasigaro, Kufri Naveen, Kufri
Neelamani,Kufri Sheetman, Kufri Muthu, Kufri Lauvkar, Kufri Dewa, Kufri Badshah,
KufriBahar,KufriLalima,Kufri Sherpa, KufriSwarna, KufriMegha, KufriJawahar, Kufri
Sutlej, KufriAshoka, KufriPukhraj, KufriGiriraj, KufriAnand, KufriKanchan, KufriArun,
KufriPushkar, KufriShailja, Kufri Surya, KufriHimalini, KufriSadabahar, KufriGirdhari,
KufriKhyati, KufriGarima and KufriGaurav.

Processing varieties: 5

Kufri Chipsona-1, Kufri Chipsona-2, Kufri Chipsona-3, KufriHimsona,

andKufriFrysona
KUFRI SINDHURI

Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab,

Uttar Pradesh,
Jammu &Kashmir

Medium, round red deep eyes

Moderately resistant to early blight and

Tolerant to Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV).

Tolerant to late blight disease.

Slow rate of degeneration.

Can tolerate temperature and water stress to some

extent.

Crop matures in 110-120 days.

Average yield is 40 t/ha. Suitable for processing.

KUFRI CHANDRAMUKHI

Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana,

Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West
Bengal.

Large, oval, white, slightly flattened, fleet eyes

and dull white flesh.

Average yield is 25 t/ha.

Crop matures in 80-90 days.

Suitable for instant flakes and chips.

KUFRI JYOTI

Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh,

Punjab, Karnataka & West Bengal.

Large, oval, white, fleet eyes and white flesh

Crop matures early in hills,

Average yield in hills 20 t/ha.

Moderately resistant to early and late blight.

Slow rate of degeneration.

It is suitable for processing purpose.

KUFRI LAUVKAR

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka

Large, round, white, fleet eyes and white flesh.

Able to build up yields rapidly under warmer climate.

Crop matures in 75-80 days.

Average yield is 30 t/ha.

Suitable for chip making.

KUFRI BADSHAH

Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar

Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir

Large, oval, white, fleet eyes, dull white flesh, and

tubers turn purple on exposure to light.

 Moderately resistant to early and late blight and

Resistant to Potato Virus X (PVX).

 Crop matures in 100-110 days.

 Average yield is 50 t/ha.

Suitable for table purpose.

KUFRI BAHAR

Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,

Jammu & Kashmir

Large, round-oval, white, medium deep eyes.

Slow rate of degeneration.

Crop matures in 100-110 days.

Average yield is 45 t/ha.

 Suitable for table purpose.

KUFRI LALIMA

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

Large to medium, red, round, medium deep eyes

and white flesh.

Crop matures in 100-110 days.

Average yield 40t/ha.

 Moderately resistant to early blight.

 Resistant to Potato Virus Y (PVY).

 Not suitable for processing

KUFRI JAWAHAR

Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab,

Karnataka.

Medium, round-oval, creamy white, fleet eyes and

pale yellow flesh. Crop

matures in 80-90 days.

Average yield is 40 t/ha.

 Moderately resistant to late blight.

Suitable in intensive-cropping systems.

Suitable for table purpose.

KUFRI SUTLEJ

Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya

Pradesh.

Large, oval, white, fleet eyes and white flesh.

Crop matures in 90-100 days.

Average yield is 40 t/ha.

Moderately resistant to late blight.

Suitable for table purpose.

KUFRI ASHOKA

Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal

Large, oval-long, white, fleet eyes and white flesh.

Susceptible to late light. Crop

matures in 70-80 days

Average yield is 40 t/ha.

Suitable for table purpose.

KUFRI PUKHRAJ

Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,

Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab,
Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal

Large, oval, slightly tapered, white, fleet eyes and

yellow flesh.

 Crop matures in 70-90 days.

Average yield is 40t/ha.

Resistant to early blight

 Moderately resistant to late blight.

Suitable for table purpose.

KUFRI SADABAHAR

For Uttar Pradesh

White, oblong, shallow eyed tubers, having white flesh

yielding about 35-40 tones/hectare

resistance to late blight

KUFRI ANAND

Plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Medium oval-long, white, flattened, fleet eyes,

smooth skin and white flesh.

Resistant to late blight and tolerant to frost.

Average yield is 35-40 t/ha.

Crop matures in 100-110 days.

Suitable for preparing French fries.

KUFRI CHIPSONA-1

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Medium to large, oval, white, fleet eyes and dull

white flesh.

Crop matures in 90-110 days.

Average yield is 40 t/ha.

Resistant to late blight and tolerant to frost.

Suitable for making chips and French fries.

KUFRI CHIPSONA-2

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Medium, Round-oval, white, fleet eyes and yellow

flesh.

Crop matures in 90-110 days.

Average yield is 35 t/ha.

Resistant to late blight and tolerant to frost.

Suitable for making chips and French fries.

KUFRI HIMSONA :
It is the first potato processing variety released for
cultivation in the hills of Himachal Pradesh.

This variety contains more than 22 per cent high dry

matter and low sugars i.e. less than 100mg per 100 gm
of fresh potato weight.

It produces excellent white chips on frying.

white, oval, shallow eyed tubers which have creamy

flesh.

It has very high degree of late blight resistance. 

Exotic Varieties:
USA
Processing Purpose
White potato, Burbank Russet, Katahdin.

Table & Processing Purpose

Russet, Round White, Long White, Round Red, Yellow Flesh, Blue and Purple.
LAND PREPARATION:

One Deep ploughing followed by 2-3 shallow ploughings and 2 cross ploughing

Add FYM or compost @ 30-35 t/ha

Acid soils – 1.5 T of dolomite or 1.0 T of slacked lime/ha

Photate 10 G @ 15 kg/ha to control soil borne insects (cut worms, mole cricket,
weevil)
 PLANTING TIME: Coincide opt. temp for tuberization
Depends - 1. Fav. Temp 2. duration of var. 3. soil moisture in rainfed area
4. Market or Seed

PLAINS:

Early crop – Punjab and western UP – 10th – 20th September

UP – 1st week of October
Bihar – 2nd or 3rd week of October
West Bengal – 2nd fortnight of October
Main crop – Gangetic plains – November
Plateau – October – December
Late crop - Last week of Nov. or Mid of Dec.

Spring crop – NW Plains – Dec – Jan

HILLS:

NE Hills – High altitudes – 3000 – 3500 m – May – June

High hills – 2500-3000 m – April
Mid Hills – 1000 – 1800 m – Jan – Feb, Aug – Sep
Nilagiri Hills – April, Aug. – Jan
METHODS OF PLANTING:
1. Seed tubers are placed in furrow

2. 15-20 cm high ridges and tubers dibbled

at 7-8 cm depth from top in the centre of
ridge with khurpa

3. Shallow furrows after planting ridges are

made to cover the tubers
Deeper planting in dry and
warm in summer

Shallow in moist and cool

soil
PLANTING TUBERS:
Potato growth and yield response to different levels of nitrogen under Chhatisgarh
plains agro climatic zone

Sanjana et al. (2014)

Source: Indian Journal of science and technology. Vol. 7(10), 1504-1508

Sanjana et al. (2014)
Sanjana et al. (2014)
 Priyanka et al. (2012)

Effect of different irrigation schedules on the growth and yield of drip irrigated
potato Cv. Kufri Jyoti
Effect of different irrigation schedules on the growth and yield of drip
irrigated potato Cv. Kufri Jyoti

Priyanka et al. (2012)