Growth and productivity of potato as influenced by cultivar and reproductive growth

A field experiment was conducted under sub-humid tropical conditions in Ethiopia using determinate cultivars Al-624, Al-436, CIP-388453-3(A) and CIP-388453-3(B) to study the effect of flowering and berry set on the growth, tuber yield, and quality of potato. Three treatments, viz. debudded, flowering, and fruiting plants were compared and standard growth analysis techniques were applied to study the growth pattern. Fruiting plants exhibited reduced leaf area index, tuber growth rate, and partitioning coefficient, but had higher crop growth rates and net assimilation rates. Fruit development reduced total and marketable tuber mass and tuber number without affecting the unmarketable component. Cultivars varied with respect to tuber yield, tuber number, size distribution, specific gravity, dry matter content, and nutrient composition. Fruiting reduced tuber specific gravity and dry matter content while increasing P, K, Mg, Fe, and Mn content of the tubers. Reproductive growth did not affect tuber Ca, S, Cu, and Zn concentrations. The field experiment demonstrated that reproductive growth restricts vegetative growth and reduces tuber yield and dry matter content of potato.