STUDY ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF POTATO AS AFFECTED BY HARVESTING TIME AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT STORAGE PERIOD

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka1207, during the

period from October, 2015 to April, 2016 to evaluate the yield and quality of potato as influenced by stage of maturity and their performance at varying ambient storage time. The experiment consists of two factors, i.e., factor A:- Potato varieties (V-5): V 1 : Asterix, V 2 : Lady Rosetta, V 3 : Courage, V : Diamant and V 5 : BARI TPS-1; factor B:- Time of harvest: (4), i.e., H 1 4 : Harvest at 80 days after planting (DAP), H 2 : Harvest at 90 DAP, H 3 : Harvest at 100 DAP and H : Harvest at 110 DAP and was laid out in a split-plot design with 3 replications. Varieties were assigned to main plots and harvesting periods to subplots. The present study revealed that harvesting time had significant effect on most of the yield and quality contributing parameters, except specific gravity. Results demonstrated that yield (total yield, marketable yield and seed yield) gradually increased with increasing harvesting time up to 100 DAP and there after remained statistically similar yield. On the other hand, some quality parameters viz. dry matter, firmness, glucose content, starch content increased with increasing harvesting age but total soluble solid (TSS) and sucrose content decreased with increasing harvesting time. Among the twenty treatment combinations, Asterix with harvested at 100 DAP produced the maximum yield (35.55 t ha -1 ) but Courage with harvested at 110 DAP showed the highest dry matter content (24.85%), glucose content (0.75 mg g -1 FW) and starch content (21.84 mg g -1 FW). In case of ambient storage condition; dry matter content, firmness, specific gravity and starch content decreased with increasing storing period while weight loss, TSS, glucose content and sucrose content increased with increasing storing period irrespective of varieties and harvesting time. It may be concluded that, harvesting time had significant effect on tuber maturation and finally on specific gravity, dry matter content, glucose content and starch content. Therefore, present study suggests that Asterix was the best for yield but courage showed superior for quality aspects when harvested at 100 DAP and 110 DAP respectively. Potato varieties remained acceptable quality up to 40 days after storage at ambient condition. So farmer must sell their potatoes within 40 Days after Storing (DAS) at ambient condition.