Management strategies for sustainable yield of potato crop under high temperature

ABSTRACT

High temperature has a deleterious effect in productivity of cool season crops like potato. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of soil management practices to high-temperature tolerance in potato. Two popularly grown potato cultivars of northeast India, Kufri megha and Rangpuria, were sown under optimal and high-temperature conditions with soil application of inorganic nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Zn), organic amendment, i.e. farm yard manure (FYM), and straw mulch. This integrative soil management practice showed significant positive influence on membrane integrity, chlorophyll content, total soluble sugars and superoxide dismutase activity of potato plant. Higher tuber bulking rate and tuber yield in both optimal and high-temperature situation was recorded under these soil applications. Kufri megha performed better with the application of Ca and Zn along with straw mulch, while Ca with farm yard manure substantially improved restore yield in Rangpuria. Application of CaSO₄ and ZnSO₄ (20 and 60 kg ha⁻¹, respectively) with FYM and straw mulch (10 and 6 t ha⁻¹, respectively) can mitigate the high-temperature stress in potato grown in acidic soil (deficient of Ca and Zn) of northeast India.

KEYWORDS:

• Heat stress
• potato cultivars
• nutrients
• mulching
• soil amendments
• mitigation

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by ‘Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarship’, New Delhi, India (Grant No. SU-I/050 2015/123).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, New Delhi, India [Grant No. SU-I/050 2015/123].