Improving Potato Productivity through Optimum Agronomic Management to Ensure Food Security of Smallholder Farmers

Abstract

Potatoes are one of the most important vegetable crops which play an important role in improving household income and nutrition thereby contributing to food security in smallholder farmers. However, yield and productivity of the crop have been far below the world average. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to improve the productivity and quality of potato through proper planting depth and time of earthing up under supplemental irrigation using Jalane variety. The result revealed that days to flowering, days to physiological maturity, plant height, leaf number per plant, number of main stem per plant, unmarketable tuber number, marketable tuber yield, unmarketable tuber yield, total tuber yield, dry matter content, size category and specific gravity were significantly different due to the main effects of planting depth and time of earthing up. Interaction effect of planting depth and time of earthing up significantly affected the yield and quality of potato plants. The highest marketable and total tuber yield was recorded from the earthing up at 25 days after emergence using 12 cm depth of planting. The result may give firsthand information for potato producers to maximize their productivity. The production of potato is improved through the combination of 12 cm planting depth and earthing up at 25 days after emergence.

Keywords:

• Agronomic practices
• Solanum tuberosum
• Food security
• Marketable yield
• Tuber quality

PUBLIC INTEREST STATMENT

In a time of extremely high population growth, loss of arable land and climate change effects, the food security issue is becoming more and more serious. Potatoes are considered as one of the most productive food crops in terms of yields of edible parts and good quality protein per unit area per unit time. It is also regarded as a high potential food security crop because of its high productivity and quality per unit input with a shorter crop cycle. It is from this background that the researcher tried to investigate the production and productivity of potato by improving the most important agronomic practices. The findings showed the highest yield and quality response of potato tubers from the earthling up at the 2^nd week after emergence using medium level of planting depth. In the end, appropriate recommendations have been forwarded in this paper for the small-scale and commercial potato producers.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Hawassa University and Kembata Tembaro Zone administrative office for facilitating administrative issues to undertake this experiment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and materials

We, the authors of this manuscript, would like to confirm that all raw data will be available with a reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Mulugeta Doboch

Mulugeta Doboch is MSc. in Horticulture serving as an expert of horticulture in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural resource. He contributed to the production and improvement of Horticultural crops. He is interested in horticulture and agronomy.

Andargachew Gedebo

Andargachew Gedebo is an Associate Professor of Plant Breeding and Agronomy at Hawassa University, Ethiopia. He had BSc in Crop Science and MSc in Crop Physiology both from Reading University, UK; and PhD in Agriculture from Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway. He has more than 20 years of teaching and research experience in the area of crop physiology, agronomy and plant breeding. He published more than 20 research papers in international journals. He is interested in breeding, agronomy and physiology of field and horticultural crops. He was involved in different curricular activities and worked as a coordinator of different projects.

Ashenafi Haile

Ashenafi Haile is an assistant professor of Horticulture in Hawassa University, Ethiopia. He has more than 13 years of teaching, research and community services experience in the area of Horticulture. He has more than 15 published and unpublished research works and practical manuals in his area of specialization. He is interested in climate change, food security and Horticulture Agronomy and physiology.

Hussien Mohammed Beshir

Hussien Mohammed Beshir is an Associate Professor of Horticulture/Plant Physiology in Hawassa University, Ethiopia. He has more than 15 years of teaching and research experience in the area of Horticulture. He was involved in curriculum development/evaluation, teaching, student supervision and research in Horticulture in different National Universities in Ethiopia.