Potato variety screening for its late blight of potato (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary) resistance and yield performance in Northern Shewa, Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

In North Shewa potato production is limited due to lack of awareness of potato production and lack of improved potato varieties, low yield of potato and potato devastating by late blight. The field experiments were conducted to evaluate the resistance levels of potato varieties against late blight and to evaluate the yield performance of potato varieties. A total of 12 varieties were arranged in randomly complete block design (RCBD) in three replications on a plot of 3 m X 3 m (9 m²) at three research locations during 2018 and 2019 main cropping seasons. Disease severities, disease progress curves, disease progress rate, tuber yield were significantly (P < 0.01) affected by potato varieties, locations and cropping seasons. On average of both cropping seasons, the varieties Menagesha, Ararsa, Chala, and Wechecha were susceptible while Gera, Gudenie, Belete, Chekole and Netib5 were moderately resistant to late blight of potato at each research site although there are some variations. Therefore, farmers at Debre Berhan are recommended to use Gudenie, Belete, Gera and Netib5 varieties while at Tengego, Gudenie, Belete, Chekole and Jalenie are recommendable. At Megezez the varieties of Gera, Netib5, Belete and Chekole are recommended.

Keywords:

• Epidemics
• late blight severity
• location
• progress rate
• resistant varieties

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Debre Berhan University vice president office for research and community service for funding the research and technical staff members of Plant science of Debre Berhan University (Ababi kebede, Assefa Yeshewaliul and Desta Balcha) for carefully managing the experiment and data recording. The authors also thank Tadesse Asegidew and Shewafera Abegaz at Megezez and Tengego research fields respectively for their unreserved support in safeguarding cultivated potato during the research work. The authors also thankful for Holleta Agriculture Research Center for providing potato sprouts of different potato varieties and valuable support.

Disclosure statement

There is no conflict of interest from any author(s).

Ethical statement

This work does not contain any kind of studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by DBU.