This document provides information on potato production technology in India. It discusses the botanical description of potato, its importance as a crop, varieties commonly grown, production practices including soil and climate requirements, planting, fertilization, irrigation, pest and disease management, and harvesting. It states that potato is the fourth most important food crop worldwide and the largest producer is China, followed by India. The states of Karnataka and Hassan contribute significantly to Indian potato production.

5. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
OF POTATO

6. BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
 Common name : Potato
 Scientific name: solanum tuberosum
 order:Solanales
 Family: Solanaceae

7. IMPORTANCE OF POTATO
• Potato is fourth major food crop after rice,wheat and maize in the
world.
• Potato was rich source of starch which produces in short period of time.
• The edible part of potato is modified underground stem.
• Potato is processed into chips,french fries,canned foods,etc.
• Solanin content is 5 mg/100g.
• Potato is highly nutritious,easily digestible and wholesome food.

8. Origin: South America
Distribution :
 In world, china stands first ,India stands second in production.
 Area and production
 Hassan is stands first in karnataka both in terms of area & production
of potato.
 Kolar is second largest producer.
Area
(ha)
Production(tons) Productivity(tons/ha)
India 2075.88 48009.19 23.13
Karnataka 44.16 589.12 13.34

10. VARIETIES AND HYBRIDS
Others varieties are Kufri himalini, kufri surya, kufri himsona,
Kufri chipsona-1,2,3,4
Sl.no Varieties Hybrids
1 Kufri Ashoka Kufri chandramukhi
2 Kufri Alankar Kufri badshah
3 Kufri Pukhraj Kufri sindhri
4 Kufri Anand Kufri sheetman[frost]
5 Kufri Jyothi

11. Kufri Jyothi Kufri surya

12. Kufri bhadshah Kufri
chandramukhi

13. Kufri chipsona-1 kufri chipsona-2
kufri chipsona-3

14. Soil and climate
• Friable,porous,well drained sandy loam to clay loam soils are well suitable.
• The Ph range is 5.5-7.5
• A cool season crop so low temperature,low humidity and bright sunny
days are required.
• Optimum temperature is 25°c for germination of tubers;20°c for
vegetative growth;17-19°c for tuber growth.
• If temperature >30,tuber formation stops.
• Rainfall requirement for the potato is 120-200 cm of annual rainfall.

16. PLANTING SEASON
• Potato is planted during the end of june to early july for kharif season.
• For rabi, it was planted during early november

17. Propagation of potato
Potato is vegetatively propagated using seed tubers.
Tuber reqirement: Irrigated :1500-2000 kg/ha
Rainfed :1000-1250kg/ha
Large tubers are cut and make 2 halves.
Weight :30-40 gms
diameter:3.5-5cm
 Cut tubers are covered with gunny bags for 2-3 days for
suberization,otherwise it wil lead to rotting.

18. Pre sprouting
• Potato has tuber dormancy for 8-10 weeks,so the seed tubers are stored.
• Potato seed tubers after removing from cold storage should be kept in
diffused light for 10-15 days to develop short,thick and green sprouts.
• Tubers treated with 1% thiourea+1ppm GA3 for 1 hour breaks dormancy.

19. Method of planting
• Ridges and furrow is the most popular method of planting potato.
• Spacing :60cm×20cm
• Sproted tubers /cut seed pieces are planted in these furrows at 20-25
cm sprout facing upwards.
• Furrows are made at 60 cm distance.
• Cover the tubers by making ridges of about 15 cm height over the
furrows.

20. Manures and fertilizers
15-30 tons of FYM is given at planting time.
Irrigated: 125:100:125 kg/ha NPK
Rainfed: 75:75:100kg/ha NPK
SSP and MOP is given at time of planting.

21. Irrigation
• Usually irrigation is not given in Kharif season.
• If rains are irregular,1-2 light irrigation are given.
• 10-12 irrigations are given at 10 days interval.

22. Interculture
• 2 weedings are done,1 immediately before earthing up and the 2nd 50-60 days
after planting.
• Earthing up should be done about 25 days after planting.
• Earthing up helps in better tuber development and avoid potato tuber moth.
• If tubers are left exposed to sunlight they will start to synthesize anthocyanin
and chlrophyll and the chlrophyll checks accumulation of starch in tubers
resulting in small tubers with bitter taste due to solanin.

24. Tuber formation
• Potato bears tubers at stolon end.
• The stolon arises from the lower nodes and starts to form 20-25 days after
planting
• Usually,tubers start to form in about 30-35 days after planting from the
apical and sub apical region of the stolon.

25.  Dehaulming or haulms cutting is practised 10-12 days before harvesting to help
the potato skin to mature quickly by removing active haulms once potatoes reach
maturity
 Very essential for seed potatoes and to store in cold storages.

26. Harvesting
• The time of harvesting potato depends on variety, market price,weather condtions.
• Early varieties mature in 80 days,medium varieties 90-100 days and late varieties
100-120 days.
• The kharif crop comes to harvest during the end of september to early october and
the rabi crop by the end of january to early february.
• Sometimes, potatoes harvested early to fetch high market price and harvested at
full maturity will have better shelf life.
• Potatoes are harvested using hand khurpas ,spade ,country plough and potato
diggers.

27. Yield
• Early varieties:20-25 tons/ha
• Late varieties:30-35 tons/ha
• Seed crop :20-25 tons/ha

28. Disadvantages of seed tubers
• 40% of total production of potato cultivation by tubers.
• Bulky nature of tubers is a problem for transportion and it increses seed cost
• Inadequate supply of seed tubers at an affordable cost to distant places.
• Transmission of viral diseases through tubers.
• Storage losses due to rotting of tubers
• Seed plot technique to grow quality seed tubers was developed by
Dr.Pushkarnath.

30. True potato seed[TPS]
• This technique was developed by Dr.S.Ramanujan,First director of CPRI.
• TPS is the matured ovule of potato resulting from sexual fertilization.
• These seeds are raised in nursery and then transplanted into main field.

31. Advantages
• It reqired in small quantity of 100-150 g.
• Free from viral diseases.
• Storage loss of seed tubers can be avoided.
• Low pest and diseases and low cost of production.
• HPS 1/13,HPS 11/13 And 24/111 are the hybrids in TPS.

32. Physiological disorders of Potato
• Black or hallow heart
• Greening
• Sprouting in storage
• Dormancy

33. Black or hallow heart
 central tissues of affected large tubers show dark black discolouration due
to sub oxidation[black heart.
 In advanced stage,the affected tissues dry and seperate to form cavities [hallow
heart].
 Control:Provide proper ventilation in storage and during transportation,store
the tubers in cold storage at 2.2°c-3.3°c

34.  Tubers turn green when exposed to direct sun light.
 The green pigment produced is solanin which is poisonous
and unfit for consumption.
 control:earthing up should be done to avoid the exposure of
tubers to direct sunlight

35. Sprouting in storage
• Makes the produce unfit for consumption.
Control:spray with maleic hydrazide @3000ppmat 15 days
before harvesting .store the potato tubers in cold
storage@2-4°c and 90-95% RH.

36. Dormancy
• The dormancy cause delay and erratic crop stand in the field .
• It becomes serious problem particularly when 2crops are to be taken in
rotation and when tubers produced in hills are used to raise the crop in
plains of India just after harvesting.
• Control:use chemicals to break dormancy or use varieties having short
dormancy period.

39. Early blight of potato
• Deficonazole 10WP @ 1ml/lt.
• Mancozeb 75 WP @ 2gm/lt .
Management

40. Late blight of potato
Days Chemicals
25-35 Mancozeb @ 2.5gm/lt
35-45 Cymoxanil +mancoeb @ 3gm/lt
45-55 Dimethomorph @ 1gm/lt +
mancozeb @ 2gm/lt.
After 60
days
Fenamidone +mancozeb @
3gm/lt
Management

42. Purple top roll
Control
• Affected plants should be burnt.
• Dimethoate 30EC @ 1.7ml/lt.
• Application of 2% DAP

43. Mosaic
Control
•Collect and burn the debris
•Diamethoate 30EC @1.7 ml/lt.

45. Aphids
Control
Dimethoate 30EC @ 1.7 ml/lt.
Methyl parathion 50 EC @ 1ml/lt.

46. Leaf hoppers

48. Potato tuber moth
Control:
 Phasolone 35EC @2ml/lt.

49. Cutworm
• Control:
Chloropyriphos 20EC @2.5ml/lt
Quinolphos 20EC @2 ml/lt.
• Spraying done in evening time.

50. Mite infestation
Control:
 Fenzaquin 10 EC @ 1.7ml/lt.
 Dicofol @2ml/lt.

51. Epilachna beetle
• Control
 Dimethoate 30EC @ 1.7 ml/lt.
 Methyl parathion 50 EC @ 1ml/lt

53. French fries

58. Potato chips