Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
- Botanical Name: Solanum tuberosum
- Family: Solanaceae
- Introduced in India: From Europe in early 17th century
- Pollination: Self-pollinated but propagated vegetatively
- World Rank (India): 5th in area and production
- Major Soil: Alluvial soils
- Planting Method: Ridge and furrow
- Ideal Planting Temp.: 20–30°C
- Chromosome No.: 2n = 48
- Origin: Peru (South America)
- Fruit Type: Berry
- Propagation: Vegetative (tubers); sexual (TPS)
- Pollination: Self-pollinated
- Rich Source: Starch
- Nickname: King of Vegetables
- Ranking:
- 4th major food crop in the world (after rice, wheat, maize)
- India: 5th in area & production (1st: China)
Agro-Climatic Requirements
- Tuberization Night Temp.: Must be <23°C (ideal: 18–20°C)
- Day Temp. for Growth: Below 35°C
- Night Temp.: Below 20°C
- Harvesting: Completed by end of January, before temperatures >30°C
- Earthing up: Done 40 days after sowing
- Dehaulming: 10–12 days before harvesting
- Dormancy Period: 8–10 weeks
- Seed Plot Technique: Developed by Dr. Puskarnath
- True Potato Seed (TPS): 40–45 g/ha required
Distribution in India
- Grown in all states except Kerala
- Plains: 82% of area; crop season: Oct–March
- Hills: Only 5% of area
- Research Institute: CPRI (Shimla), est. 1949
- India’s Top Producing States: Uttar Pradesh (31%). West Bengal (23%)
Diseases & Pests
Disease/Pest | Notes |
Late blight | Most devastating; frequent in hills |
Wart disease | Confined to Darjeeling (West Bengal) |
Cyst nematode | Found in Southern hills |
Black scurf | Resisted by Kufri Kuber |
Nutritional Content
- Carbohydrates: ~22%
- Protein: ~2% (high-value)
- Vitamin C: 17 mg/100 g
- Potassium: 568 mg/100 g
- Solanin (toxic):
- Safe: <20 mg/100 g
- Found: ~5 mg/100 g normally
Dormancy Breaking; Treatment: 1% Thiourea + 1 ppm GA for 1 hour
Cultivation Practices
- Seed Rate:
- 15–20 q/ha (25 g tuber pieces with 3–5 eyes)
- Higher yield: 20–25 q/ha
- Spacing: 45–60 cm × 15–20 cm
- Earthing up: 40 days after sowing
- Harvesting: Completed before temp. exceeds 30°C (Jan–Feb)
- Yield: 15–20 t/ha
- Critical Irrigation Stages: Stolon formation (20–50 DAS). Tuber bulking (50–80 DAS)
Popular Potato Varieties
🔹 Early Maturing
- Kufri Chandramukhi
- Kufri Ashoka
- Kufri Lavkar
- Kufri Jawahar
🔹 Mid Maturing
- Kufri Sindhuri
- Kufri Pukhraj
- Kufri Lalima
- Kufri Sutlej
- Kufri Badshah
- Kufri Chipsoma series
🔹 Late Maturing
- Kufri Deva
- Kufri Kundan
- Kufri Giriraj
🔹 Introduced Variety; Up-to-Date (from North Ireland) – most popular variety
Specialty Varieties
Category | Varieties |
Late Blight Resistant | Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Megha, Kufri Jeevan, Kufri Kuber |
Suitable for Plains | Kufri Ashoka, Kufri Pukhraj, Kufri Sheetman |
Processing Purpose | Kufri Chipsona I, II |
Wart Disease Immune | Kufri Sherpa, Kufri Jyoti |
Frost Resistant | Kufri Chipsona II, Kufri Sheetman |
Multiple Disease Resistance | Kufri Badshah (Late blight + Early blight + PVX) |
Black Scurf Resistance | Kufri Kuber |
Important for Objective Exams
- CPRI: Central Potato Research Institute – Shimla, 1949
- Most popular variety: Up-to-Date
- Solanin safe limit: < 20 mg/100g
- High-yielding hill variety: Kufri Jyoti
- Multiple resistant variety: Kufri Badshah
Seed Technologies
✅ True Potato Seed (TPS)
- Introduced by Ramanujam (1957)
- Nursery sowing → 30 days → transplant
- Disease-free & cost-effective
- Nursery seed requirement: 100–150 g/ha
- Nursery area: 75 m²/ha
Seed Plot Technique (SPT)
- Developed at CPRI, Shimla (1959); by Puskarnath (1967)
- For virus-free seed multiplication in plains
- Haulm cutting: Mid-Jan; tubers mature in soil
Dormancy Breaking; 1% Thiourea + 1 ppm GA₃ for 10 min–1 hour
Physiological Disorders
Disorder | Cause/Management |
Black Heart | Low O₂; avoid poor ventilation in storage |
Hollow Heart | Excessive N fertilizers |
Chilling Injury | Prolonged storage at 0°C |
Major Diseases & Causal Organisms
Disease | Causal Agent |
Late Blight | Phytophthora infestans |
Early Blight | Alternaria solani |
Black Scurf | Rhizoctonia solani |
Common Scab | Streptomyces scabies |
Wart Disease | Synchytrium endobioticum |
Charcoal Rot | Storage disease |
Scab & Scurf control: 3% Boric acid tuber treatment
