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Extension Bulletin No. 34 (E)

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>CAR
Potato Cultivation in
North Eastern India

Central Potato Research Institute

(Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Shimla~171 001, Himachal Pradesh
 Extension Bulletin No. 34 (E)

POTATO CULTIVATION IN
NORTH EASTERN INDIA

Compiled & edited by

PH Singh, VK Ghandla,
SM Paul Khurana, ID Garg,
KG Thakur, Sarjeet Singh "and SS Lal

¥-
...
ICAR
Extension ~ulletln No. 34

Printed : February, 2003, 3000 copies

Production : -J P Untyal
" I , '
Photographs: D.C. Chandel, B.S. Latlwal and S.K. Dey

Published specially for farmers and extension workers

of North Eastern States under a Central Sector Scheme
"Integrated Development of HortIculture In North Eastern
States Including Sikklm. Mini MissIon I"

Published by
SM Paul Khurana
Director
Central.fotato Besearch Institute
Shlmla-171 001, H P India
~TlJJTt:f :'U i"1I '='E6'£5\]'r", r-r=ax,"" i"i'l ';::
E-mail: director@cprihpnic.in
Website : http://cpn.hp.ntc.ln

Printed at
Malhotra Publishing House
B-6, D~IDC Complex, Kirti Nagar
New Delhl-110 015
Tel: 25157006, Telefax: 25934597, E-mail: mph@vsnl.com
 Contents

Research achievements 2
,
Recommended practices of' potato production 3
CultJvars 3
Seed source
, 3
Seed size :3
Seed preparation 3
Planting time 3
Manunng
, 3
Method of planting 4
\Intercultural operatlor,~ 4
Plant Protection measures 4
Harvesting 9

Seed potato production 10,

Seed treatment 11

Production and utilization of True Potato Seeds (TPS) 11

Crop production using TPS 12
Crop from transplanted seedlings 12
Crop from seedling tubers 23
Annexures
Area, production, Yield and per capita availability
of potato In North-eastern States 28
Grographical data of NE States 29
Optimum planting and harvesting time in different
parts of North Eastern States' 30
Common diseases and pests of potato 31
 POT~TO CULTIVATION IN
NORTH EASTERN INDIA

North-East India consists of the seven ·sib1ers A§sam,

Arunachal Pradesh, ~llIzoram, Nagaland, Mampur, Meghalya 'and
Tripura states and now Sikkim IS also added. The, region lies
between 21° and 29' North latitude and 89° and 98° East longitude.
NEH region covers almost 9% of the area of the country, and
about 4 5% of Its population. About 10% of the Indian potato area
lies in the North-East India The area und~r potato In the region ~s
a percentage of the net cropped area is about four times the
national level. Althou·gh the yield level" IS qUite low due to various
reasons but the per capita availability of potato in the region is
higher than at the national level. The main reasons for the- low 0

potato yields are Inadequate availability of Important inputs like

fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, healthy seed and poor
management practices, and prevalence of serious diseases like
late blight and brown rot, and pests like potato tuber moth and
"!hite grubs.
An intensive survey by the sCientists of the Institute, was
undertaken dUring 1985-86 to take a close look of the problems of
potato cultivation In the region With a view to develop the research
prOgramme tor their resolullOn. The following aspects were Identified:
1) Development of cultivars suited for rainfed cultivation, and
low-input requiring _cultlvars for the entire reql.9n.
2) Development of agronomic practices .for ralnted farming and
brown rot management' including potato based cropping
system.
3) Testing the suitability of a) passive evaporating storing
system for table potatoes, b) diffused light storage for
storing seed potato; c) the management practices
development for contalmng brown rot and potato tuber moth;
d) true potato seed production, and e) seed plot technique
for seed production, especially In the valley reglo_ns; and
4) Development of cultlvars possessing durable resistance to
late blight and moderate resistance to brown rot.

1
 RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS

The Central Potato Research Station (CPRS), Shillong was

established In 1959 to conduct research on the regional problems
of potato cultivation It is located 'at an elevation of 1800 meters
above Mean, Sea Level. Its far~- area IS 12.8 ha. The CPRS,
Shillong is engaged in multi-disciplinary research on (I) breeding
for high yielding late blight and brown rot 'resistant vanetles
sUitable for the region; (II) developing sUitatile agronomical and'
manurial practices; (iii) conducting basic studies on the prevailing
diseases and pests of potato with special reierence to iate blight,
brown roi' diseases and potato tuber moth; and (IV) produCing
quaHiy seed potato required for the region The station has evolved
a few varieties which cmnblne high yields with variable degrees of
resistance to late blight and brown rot. The work carned out for the
control of potato tuber moth indicated that tl)E! leaves of Lantana
and Eucalyptus plants possess repellent actlo[l. Ur,d,er !nd.lgenous
storage conditions covenng of the tubers, with dned aod cl1!she9
leaves of Lantana reduced the tuber and sprout damage, to 5% and
3%, respectively as compared to over 70% and -45%, when no
treatment had been given. SlOce these plants are readily available
in the region, they can be collected by the farmers without 'any
dlffl<;ulty. They are, easy to use for protecllng potato tubers against
tupE!r. mQth.

The work carried out on sOil fertility aspects hal! shown that
most of the areas of Meghalaya, Manipur, Tnpura and Arunachal
Pradesh and more than half the area a! Mlzoram are deficient In
phosphorus. This is the result of the aCidic nature of the sOil and
the presence of exchangeable aluminium. The soils of Tnpura,
Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are low to medium
In available potassium.

The work on aphid vectors showed that autumn potato crop

is more suitable than summer crop for seed production in Meghalaya
because the aphid population remains low. BeSides, manurial and
cultural practices for 'potato and potato based cropping system
and management practices for controlling 'of brown rot disease
have also been worked out.

.,-
 RECOMMENDED PRACTICES OF POTATO'
PRODUCTION

1. Cultivars
Since late blight IS a major disease the resistant vanetles
like Kufri Jyoti, Kufn Megha, Kufn Kanchan (red tuber) and
Kufn Glriraj are recommended for main/autumn-crops.

2. Seed source
Seed should be procured from a reliable source, preferably
from,a Government agency., It IS better to replace the seed
every 3-4 years,
•
3. , Seed size
Best seed size for raising summer and autumn crops IS 40-
50 g.
4. ,Seed' preparation
,
Seed from the previous years harvest should be kept in seed
trays or baskets or spread out on the floor or on racks in
)a store and, exposed to natural diffused light to ensure
proper sprouting. ,Unsprouted and rotten tubers should be
sorted out penod!cally, The sprouted seed tubers should be
taken to the fields in trays for planting to minimize sprout
damage. Seed should not be kept in gunny bags up to one
month before planting to avoid development of lanky, fragile.
and etiolated sprouts, and need to be shifted In trays or
~pread on floor in diffused light.

5. Planting time
The main crop is planted in the first fortnight, of March and
autumn 'crop is planted in the last week of August to first
week of September (Annexure-III).

6. Manuring
Apply 100 q/ha farm yard manure In furrows before planting,
Chemical fertilizers should be applied as per the following
table:

3
Fertilizer Source Quantity to be applied (qlha)
Ware potato Seed potato
At At earthing At At earthmg
planting up planting up

Nitrogen Ammonium sulphate 375 25 375 t 25

(N) or / (75 kg N) (50 kg N) (75 kg N) (25 kg N)
Calcium Ammonium 300 200 300 100
I'Jitrate (C_~N) (75.kg N) (50 kg N) (75 kg N) (25 kg N)
Phos- Smgle Super 75 Ni 75 _..-" Nil
phorus phosphate (120 kg P,O,) (120 Kg P,O,)
(P,DJ
p:otash Munate of Potash 100 Nd 100 Ni
(K,D) (60 kg K,0) (60 kg' K,O)

The fertilizer should be mixed with sOil to avoid direct

contact of the seed tubers,

7. Method of planting
Make furrows against the slope keeping 50 cm distance
between the rows. It is important to make the furrows and
ridges against the slope to aVOid sOil erosion. Place the
large size tubers in furrows in upper side of the field slope
and small tubers In downward side slopes at 20-25 cm
distance between, the tubers depending upon seed size.
Cover the. seed tubers with sOil immediately after planting,
making ndges to a height of 8-10 cm.

8. Intercultural operations,
Weeding should be done as soon as the weeds appear. The
final earthing up should be done when the plants are 10-15
cm high. While earthing up, the remaining dose of nitrogen
(25 kg/ha in seed crop and 50 kg/ha in ware crop) should
be applied. Use. herbicides like metnbuzln @ 0.7 kg/ha (1.0
kg Sencor) as pre emergence or paraquat @.0.5 kg/ha (2 5
litre Gramaxone) as post-emergence treatment at about 5%
emergence of potato plants for effectwe contfOl of the weeds
In potato crop

9. Plant protection measures

Potato tuber moth (PTM) damages the potato both In the
field and store (Plate 6) hence, integrated pest management
(I PM) ~chedule as under may be practiced.

4
A. Fields
l) l,Jse healthy seed potatqes f9r planting ..
II) Deep planting (10'cm) or,more with proper earthing
and timely Irrigation.
,
iii) Installation of PTM sex pheromones traps @ 20 traps!
ra for'mass trapping of male moths
IV) SpraYing crop with microbial agent~ like Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) WG @ 300 gm/ha, GranulosIs VIrUS
(GV) @ 2 larval eqUivalent (LE)~ltre of water and
monocrotophos 40 WSC @ 005% cone., alternately
on PTM appearance.'
If possible, inoculati~e release of potential parasltOid
ie. Copldosoma koehlen or Chelonus blackburm, In
potato fields dUring pest build Gp stage
ana
Proper sanitation VIZ. removal of left over tubers,
volunteer plants and alternate host' plants ;from and
, the vicinity of the crop ,

B. Stores
I) Provide 2·3 cm thick layers of chopped leaves of
Lantana sp I Eucalyptus· sp: below al']d ',above" ·the
storEld potatoes.
Ii) Install PTM sex pheromone traps @ 4 trap/100 rn'
'store area
and
IIi) Use GV formulation (to prepare 1 kg formulation, miX,
1 kg talc pow~r In Qne litre Qf ""ater +,,20 GV infected
PTM larvae +, 5 ml tnton In the shade to make the
formulation In to dust form) 5 kg of 'GV formulated
dust is suffiCient for one ton of potatoes,
Soil pests viz. white grubs Brahmma (Lachnoslema) coriacea
and H. longlpennis; cutworm Agrotis segeturn and A'. Ipsi/on and
red ants Dorylus onentalis cause moderate to 'heavy damage to
potato tubers (Plate-6). These pests are manageable by adopting
follOWing IPM schedule In the potato fields
I) Timely planting and harvesting of potato crop.

5
 II) Two spraylngs with chlorpynfos 20 EC @ 2.5 IItlha.
alone or alternately with bioagent Beauvena bassiana
(1 % conc.) first after obselVIng 2% plant cuI' and
second on' the appearance of while grub beetles
ill) Removal of alternate/collateral hosts of beetle (white
grub) hosUrom the vicinity and within potato crop
, /

11/) '2-3 ploughing before planllng and after harvesting to

expose theJmmature stages of white.grubs should be
done for natural mortality· and for predatloi1
'" SpraYing the beetle hosts and bunds with endosulfan
35 EC @ 0 05% concentration.
VI) Conservation of natural enemies (predatory birds,
parasites and predators)
and
VII) FIxing the light 'tr~JlS for mass trapping of beetles/
moths.

(cl Control of fungal and bacterial diseases

In the north eastern hili region, fungal diseases such as late
blight, phoma and early blight damage the potato crop severely. In
North eastern hills the environmental conditions remain congenlai
for late blight development throughout:the crop season. It is not
sufficient to use only contact fungicides like mancozeb but for the
proper and effective management, following integrated steps should
be taken:
I) Grow only late blight resistant vanetles recommended
for the region namely Kufn Giriraj, Kufn Megha, Kufn
Jyoli and Kufn Kanchan (red tubers)
ill Seed potatoes should be cHecked thoroughly before
storage All blight affected tubers must be removed
and buried deep In the, SOIl. Sort out the tubers
shOWing disease symptoms once again before planting
to reduce the further crances of disease spread. As
far as possible, seed 'should be taken from disease
free fields
iii) Ridges should be m!l9.e high enough to cover daughte~
tubers and reduce chances of t~eir Infection upon
exposure.

6
 iv) As soon as the weather becomes 'congenial for late
bllght,appearance (temperature 10-20'C, RH>80%),
the crop should be sprayed with 0,2% mancozeb
(2 kg of mancozeb per ha of crop/2 g of mancozeb per
,liire of water) A sticker like Triton AE (0.1 %; 1 ml of
,Tnton AE In one litre of water) must be mixed with the'
fungicide solution. Subsequent sprays depending upon
the weather cO,ndlti!)[1s should be applied at 8 days
interval till crop maturity. II.lternatively, systemic
fungicide like metalaxyl (Ridomll MZ 0.25% or 2.5 kg
of Rldomll per lia or,2 5 g' of Rldomil per litre of water)
may be sprayed alternating It with mancozeb, A total
of four sprays (two 'each of mancozeb and Rldomll
MZ) are sufficient Since the effect of Rldomillasts for
two weeks, mancoz~b should be applied only 15 days
after t~e Ridomll application
Grounq keepers/bolters should be rogued out as early
as possible.
VI) Sprays on the resistant varieties like Kufri Glnraj, Kufn
Megha and K~fri Kanchan should be need based to
avoid 'misuse of chemicals and enVl(~nmental pollution,
vii) When 75% crop foliage is killed by late' blight, the
haulms should be cut and removed from the field and
buned deep In the sOil
VIIi) Harvest the crop 15-20 days after haulms cutting or
when the skin has become firm, sori out' the late
blight infected tubers and store the seed after treating
It with 3% bonc acid (30 g per litre of ~ater) This Will
also help to check some other tuber borne diseases
For the effective management of early blight caused by
Alternaria solani and leaf spots caused by Phoma,spp., follOWing
integrated, management practices should be adopted,
I) Use only disease free tubers for raiSing the crop,
ii) The crop must be given balanced doses of fertilizers,
especially nitrogen because the incidence and seventy
of these diseases are generally high in the crop
re,ceiving imbalanced doses of fertilizers, particularly
low do,ses of nitrogen.

7
 iii) Spray of 1.0% urea (10 g per litre of water) at 45 days
of crop grow1h and subsequent spray after 8-10 days
may easily escape the severe onslaught of these
diseases
IV) Fungicidal sprays are effective in controlling early
blight and other leaf spots. Mancozeb (0.2%) and
Copper Oxychlonde (0.3%) recommended for· the
control of late blight can take care of early blight and
lea:t spots.
,_, Avoid cultivation of solanaceous crops like tomato,
brinjal, chillies, etc. nearby potato fields because
these crops are:the.collateral hosts of the pathogens
causing early blight, brown rot and leaf spots.
'VI) Removal and burning of haulms of the affected potato
crop help In redUCing the Inoculum In the field
• ., J "'
VII) Fields should be kept neat and clean, free from
weeds.
Brown rot 'is another Imporlant disease in North-eastern hill
region Infected seed tubers and SOil are the primary sources of
Infection carrying the bacterium from one season to another. For
Its integrated management following practices should be followed ..
(i) Healthy seed, free fr,!m brown rot pathogen should be
used for planting
(II) The seventy of the dlseas\3 can be reduced by
planting the crop between the second week of FebrualY
'to first week of March and harvesting before first week
of June.
(III) Apply bleaching powder @ 12 kglha mixed with
fertilizer in furrows at planting.
(IV) The incidence of this disease can also be reduced by
adopting crop rotation With maize, finger millet, cereals,
garlic, onion etc.
M r SOil burning IS also recommended In Sick and infected
, fields.
Uproot the wilted plant With tubers and' bulY in a pit
after drenching With bleaching 'powder The .uproot

8
 spot should also be drenched with. bleaching powder
'solution
,
Besides late blight, early blight, phoma ieaf spots and
brown rot, spme other sOil and tuber borne diseases are also
common In potato, though th.ese are of I]1lnor significance for the
North eastern region. They can be successfully .managed by
adopting the following integrated management schedule.
I) Use disease free seed, preferably from disease free
area/fleIQ.
II)' Treat seed· potato with 3% bonc acid (30' g per litre of
water) for .30 minutes.
iii) Do not grow potato every year in the same field.
Rotate, It with the crops like cereats, maize, millets
and no~-solanaceous crops.
ill) Follow hot weather cultlvati0!l In plains and plateau
and cold weather cultivation In the hills.,·
I ' I
tn ptains and plateau, harvest the potato crop before
SOil temperature rises, above 28°C i.e. by the end of
February.
Avoid Injuries to the tubers dUring harvest, handling
arid transportation.
vo) Allow the potato tubers to cure for 8-10 days
Immediately after harvest In shade preferably at 10-
15°C.
VIII) Store potatoes In well ventilated cool stores
IX) If field remains fallow, plough regularly to minimize
weeds which haibour the pathogens. Alternatively,
grow green manure ·crops (any legume).
Symptoms of late blight, early blight, phoma leaf
spots, bacterilll wUt and brown rot, some soil and tuber
!lqrne fungat diseases, Important viral diseases and pests
lire given in the photographs (Plates 1,2,3,4,5 and 6).

10. Harvesting.
Crop should be harvested soon after its maturity. Prefereably,
harvesting should be done on bright sunny days. All the

19
 damaged and rotted tubers' should be sorted out and
marketable tubers should be graded in different size~,
packed In gunny bags and kept In cool place till It IS
marketed

SEED POTATO PRODUCTION

If the seed crop is to be grown, the following extra, steps

should be followed in addition to the above practices:
(I) Select such fields which are either free from brown rot
pathogen or have minimum inoculum in the field.
(II) Apply bleaching powder @ 12 kg/ha. at the time of
land preparation to manage the Inoculum of brown rot
pathogen
(IIi) Use properly sprouted seed only. Do not cut the
tubers
(iv) Adopt plant proteclion measures' against foliar
9lsea~es

(v) Apply a granular systemic InsectiCide such as phorate

10 G @ 10 kg/ha at the time of planting to prevent
infestation of aphid vectors,
(\11) Spray the crop with imldachloprld (Confldor) @ 400 g/
ha in 1000 liters water whe~ the aphid count reaches
2 aphidS/1 00 compound leaves. This happens usually
by the' first week of May in hills and middle of
December in plains. Repeat the spray at 10-15 days
_Interval based on the aphid populaliOn build-up In the
crop and cut the haulms when its population reaches
20 aphlds.l100 compound 'leaves.
(vii) During the growing seasqn, the seed plot should be,
inspected twice or thrlce'to remove all off-type and
plants showing mottling, mOSaiC, crinkle, necrosIs
and leaf roiling symptoms. The first Inspection may be
done 'when the plants 'attain' 10-15 cm height (40'
days) and 'the second at flowering stage (60 days):
DUring the later stages of the crop (75 days old, crop),
if plants show any symptoms of purple top roll, th-ey
should ,be also removed along With the, mother and
daughter tubers., HOlII(ever, purple top roll symptom
 may De ',nduced by injury 16 plants o~ aue
to water
stagnation. Hence, such observations may be kept in
mind while roguing of diseased plants.
(VIII) Towards the beginning of June (in hills) and beginning
of January (In plains), cut tlie haulms ',it the ground
level. At this ·tlme, the' crop also starts maturing. The'
cut haulms should not 'be left as such in 'the field.
Ensure that there is no regrowth of stems aiter
dahaulmlng as tender and succulent leaves are more'
attractive to the aphids.
(ix) Harvest the crop when tile, skin of the tubers has
become firm Harvesting is best' done on sunny days.
Heap the produce In shade for c~nng of skin and the
heap IS left undisturbed for 15-20 days Sort ,out the
infected tubers and grade them according to their
sizes, preferably into four grades-small, medium, large'
and extra large :dependlng upon th.eir Vielght, and,
diameter.

11. ~eed treatment

After grading, wash the tubers In water then In 1% chloroCin
solution followed .by rinsing in water and treating In 3%
solution of boric acid for 30' minutes to control surface bome
diseases The once prepared solution can be used 20 times
If the tubers have been thoroughly washed. After the treatment,
ensure that the tubers are dried properly In shade. Pack the
seed tubers in gunny bag!fwith proper labeling for marketing
as seed. Treated tubers being poisonous should not be
used for table purpose.
Keep own seed from your produce. Such seed should be
stored In wooden trays of convenient sizes or baskets or
spread on floor ,In well ventilated rooms. To aVOid tuber
damage !rom tuber moth In the store, cover the potato
,tubers with Ii. thin layer of dry sand and dust it ';"',th 1%
'malaihion dust Seed potatoes should be stored in gunny
bags up to a particular period as thereafter It 'encourages
development of ~tlolated ~nd lanky ,sprouts., Only. see~
potatoes should be treated with malathion. Such treated
potatoes should not be,consumed.

11
 PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF
TRUE POTATO SEEDS (TPS)

Potato IS traditionally grown vegetatively through seed tubers.

ThiS results in continuous accumulallon and Increase of vanous
tuber borne diseases in seed tubers and consequent reduction In
crop Yield. To maintain high Yields, therefore, the potato vanet,es
released from time to time need constant support of a well
developed disease free seed production programme. This, however,
puts a limit to the amount 'of availability of good quality seed
produced in the country and also pushes up the cost of seed
tubers. To' overcome these problems, a new potato production
technology making use of True Potato Seeds (TPS), Instead of
tubers lor raJsmg the crop, has been developed by Central Potato
Research Institute (CPR I), Shimla and Internatlonai"Potato Center
(CIP). ThiS has' also been under test In the All 'India Coordinated
Potaio 'Improvemeni' Project. The results have shown that TPS
could serve as a cheap and 'hlgliiy productive material for raising
commercial potato crop, especially in areas where availability of
good quality seed tubers at reasonable pnce is a major cOrJstrainl
in Increasing potato production. The technology of potato production
through, TPS has been found sUitable for adoption in all the potato
growlng'areas of the country., TPS production is a specialised Job
which farmers,cannot take up ,Soma, State Govts. & NGOs are
prodUCing TPS.1n addltlon'to CPR I. TPS may, be obtained from
them' Addresses of such organisations are given In thiS' book.

CROP PRODUCTION USING TPS

Two'm,ethods of raising a commercial potato crop from TPS
have been successful. These are.
A) .Using seedlings as planting matenal
8) USing seedling tubers as planting matenal
'Whereas, the first method IS successful in regions where
ihe winters are mild e.g. Assam & Tnpura, the second me\hod IS
succ~ssful in all the potato growi~g regions of the NE states

A) Crop from transplanted seedlings

I ,

The procedure followed IS as under:

12
Preparation of nursery beds
I) About 100-120 g TPS and a nursery bed of 50-60 sq m
area IS required for raising seedlings for transplanting In
, omi' he,ctare
II) Mark thE! nursery bed area keeping ItS breadth as 1 m and
the length as per convenience,
iii) Bring the sOil In nursery bed area to fine tilth, Provide about
10 cm high' border around It uSing bricks or any other
sUitable and easily available local material to prepare the
four walls of the seed bed
IV) Prepare substrate for the seed bed by mixing sterilized SOil
and well rotten FYM' or compost or blo-gas slurry In 1 1
ratio, Use a higher proportIOn of FYM for heavy SOils, Add
fertilizers @ 4-5 g N,_6-8 g P,05 and 10 g K,O!m' In the
substrate and mix well '
v) Fill the lower 7-8 cm depth of the nursery bed With thiS
substrate Cover the top of nursery bed With 2-3 cm thick
layer of sieved FYM, The height of the bed IS thus raised
to about 10 cm from the field level
(In areas where brown rot IS endemic, the seed bed should
be raised by about 25-30 em above the field level so that
the seedlings do not root In the native Infested SOil)

Seedling raising
I) SOW the TPS early In the rabl season In the plainS when
"'Tl'/iWm',\ffi, rt~(rt'YCl'j)pe1-&tm-cfg(a, t'1\'yuc\riU'~?Q.u2.~v

II) The freshly extracted seed have a dormancy period of 5-

6 months Fresh seeds, therefore, need to be treated With
dormancy breaking chemicals. For breaking the dormancy,
soak the seeds In 2000 ppm Gibberellic aCid (GA,) solution
(prepared by dissolving 150 mg Gibberellic, acid in a few
drops of alcohol and made up to 100 ml by\adding water)
for 24 hrs
III) Remove the seeds from Gibberellic aCid solution, wash!
rinse With water and dry In shade
Iv) Though not essential, pre-germination of TPS before
sowing It In nursery beds IS recommended in plains to
catch on time and ensure good seedling stand In the beds.

13
 +-- IRRIGATION CHANNEL -+

FURROW -+ ,
L. f---------j
RIDGE -+

/'
/

,/

o BED 1 BED 2

+-- IRRIGATION CHANNEL -+

I--_ _ _ _~..J . . . . t ~+- SEEDLING

Y

BED 1 BED 2

+-- IRRIGATION CHANNEL -+

BED1 BED2

Fig. 1. Sequence (A, B & C) of seedling transplanting In field.

14
 PLATE - 1
Symptoms of late blight on different plant parts
Fig. A : On leaves, Fig. B : On foliage, Fig. C : On stem,
Fig 0 : On tuber. Fig. E : Infected cut tuber.

15
 ®

PLATE - 2
Fig. A : Early blight on potato leaves Fig. B : Leaf spots caused
by Phoma exigua, Fig. C : Leaf spots caused by Phoma sorghina

16
 ®

PLATE - 3
Fig. A : Potato plant wilted due to bacterial wilt Fig B : Brown rot
infected tuber with bacterial ooze from an eye. Fig C : Vascular
ooze on cut tubers.

17
 ®

PLATE - 4
Fig. A : Black scurf on potato tuber. Fig. B : Potato tuber
showing common scab. Fig. C : Powdery scab on potato tuber.
Fig. 0 : Powdery scab on potato roots.

18
 ® ®

© @

® ®
PLATE - 5
Fig. A : Primary leaf roll, Fig. B : Leaf roll secondary infection,
Fig. C : Mild mosaic, Fig. 0 : Severe mosaic, Fig. E : Paracrinkel
due to PVM, Fig. F : Apical leaf curl severe infection.

19
 @

PLATE - 6
Fig. A : Cutworm, Fig. B : Cutworm damaged tubers, Fig. C :
White grub dal)'lage on tubers, Fig. 0 : Epilachna grubs feeding
on leaf, Fig. E : Epilachna adult, Fig. F : PTM damaged tubers

20
 This is done by soaking I the seeds In water. for 24 hrs.,
mixing !i ;""lt0 sjeved FYrvl (In I:? r<llio) and keeping the
mixture, niCIiSt for next 4-5 days to a stage when the radicle
Just &tarts coming. out
",. Lightly Irrigate the nursery beds a day before 'TPS sowing.
Hoe and level the beds next day to geJ the sOIL. In 'proper
texture and mOisture level for seed sowing.
VI) SOW the TPS either In 1/2 cm deep furrows drawn 10 cm
apart across·the breadth of the bed or thinly broadcast the
seeds in nursery bed @ 2-3 g seeds/m' area and cover
them with about % cm thick layer of sieved FYM.
Vii) Irrigate the seed beds using' a sprayer or a Gardener's
water-can ensunng that the sOil is kept moist. The 'seeds
should not be dislocated from the place oj sowing and there
should be no water run o f f . ' '
VIii) Irrigate the se~d beds 3-4 times a day .or as needed, for
about a week after TPS sowing, ensuring that the beds are
kept moist. Subsequently, spray water once or twice a day.
IX) In areas where maximum day'temperature is above 30°C,
protect the nursery beds from direct sunlight by prOViding
shade uSing hessian cloth cover from 10 a.m ..to 5 p m for
next 15 days after TPS sowing. Remove the covers In the
evenings
x) After the germlnallOn is complete and the leaves start
emerging, . spray the seedlings every 2-3 days with 0.1%
urea (prepared by dissolving' 1 g urea 'In 1 litre of water) till
they are ready (4-5 leaf stage) for transplanting. This stage
IS reached after 20-25 days of TPS sowing.

Field preparation
.'
i. Prepare the field by adding FYM @ 20.Uha as In traditional
methed for raising the petate crep, deing pre-sowing Irngatlon
(if. necessary), ploughing and planking
II. Broadcast half the dese of-mlregen (the ether half. te be
given at earthing up) and full dese of P,D, and K,D,. as per
recommendation for the region, at the last round of field
preRaratiori and mix It In soil.
 iii. Level the field and make about 20 cm high ridges 45:50 cm
apart in East-West direction. Prepare long beds as these
facilitate seedling transplanting. The beds can be
subsequently divided into smaller units to facilitate irrigallOn
Provide a 45 cm broad pathllrrlgallOn channel after each
bed

Seedling transplanting
I. Do the seedling transplanting In field In the evening only to
reduce damage due to heat stress: ~
Ii Carefully remove the bare rooted seedlings from nursery
beds and take them to the field In small baskets.
III Irrigate the furrows of two adjacent beds simultaneously, just
before transplanting seedlings. Take care to fill only half of
the furrow leaving the top 8-1,0 cm of the ridge dry,
rv.
, Transplant the seedlings immediately after irrigation, at 10
crT) Intm-row distance with the help of Khurpa'(Hand hoe) ai
the water mark on northern side of the ridge. 'Place the roots
of the seedlings in well moist soil. Plant onfy one seedling'
per hilI. Transplant In two adjacent beds (both sides of,
irrigating channel) simultaneously (Flg.1).
v. Give a second irrigation to the furrows Immediately after
transplanting Irrigation and transplanting are successive
operations and are to be done row by row.
VI. Irrigate the furrows every third/fourth day till the seedlings
get established. The frequency of)rrlgatlon, thereafter, can
be reduced to once in 8-10 days as per crop need, soil type
and, environment.
vii Do earthing up after about 30-35 days of transplanting.
Apply remaining half dose of nitrogen before earthing up
which should be done In such a way that the seedlings
come to lie In the centre of the ridge. Care should b~ taken
'to cover lower most 2-3 nodes with soil.
viii. All subsequent cultural operaiions and ,plant protection
measures may be taken as per standard cultivallOn practices
for potato crop In the region,
IX. siop Irrigation atleast 10 days beiore dehaulrmng Cut the
'haulms of the crop on the date recommended for dehaulmlng
of the seed crop, If the produce IS to be used for seed

22
 ,'purposes Haulms need not be cut If the produce is to"be
,used for table purposes
'x-. Grade and select the tubers of 10 to'40 g size for use as
seed next year, The large size (>40 g) tubers may be
disposed off for table purposes, Soak the seed tubers in 3%
boric acid solutio'it for 30 min" dry'ln shade and store in a
cool piace, " .. ,

B. . Croll from seediing tubers

The method Involves two. major steps viz seedling tuber
production and the crop' production using seedling tubers. as
planting matenal,

8-1., Seedling tuber production

•
'The' seedling tubers can be produced In field by transplanting
seedlings as per method detailed In section A. Since thls'"meihod
is successful only. In few regions, an alternate ~ethod of seedling
tuber production in nursery beds, found successful In all potato
growing regions, has been developed,
C '
:Se;edllng tubers In nursery beds can be produced ,by two
methods,

Method (
In this method the seedlings are raised In pnmary nursery
beds and subsequently transplanted in, secondary (Production)
nursery beds for .tubenzatlon, ThiS method IS sUitable for warmer
regions (e:'g: Assam and'Tripura' plains) where the recovery of
seedlings from transplanting shock and their subsequent growth is
fast Vanous'steps Involved in producing seedling tubers by thiS
method are as under
I) .About40·g TPS and 300 m' nursery' bed area are reqUired
for producing enough seedling tubers for pi~nting one hectare
area the next year,
II) Prepare the pnmary nursery beds and raise seedlings upto
4-5 leaf stage as detailed in Section A above
IIi) For prepanng nursery beds, mark the nursery bed area
keeping ItS breadth as 1 m and the length as per convenience,
IV) Remove' the top sOil 'up to a depth of 20-25 cm from the
marked 'nursery bed area,

23
 (In brown rot endemic areas the level of nursery beds should
be raised by about 25 cm by providing borders all around It
and filling the space with ~he substrate prepared as explained
below)
Prepare su~straie for the nursery bed by mixing stenllzed
soil and ~ell rotten FYM or compost or blo-gas slurry in 1 1
ratio. Use a higher proportion of FYM for heavy sOils Add
to the substrate and mix. basal. dose of ~,P and K·as per
recommendallOn for the potato crop in the region.
VI) Fill the nursery bed Pit up to a relght of 1.0 Clll with. this
substrate mixture
VII) Flood
,
Irrigate the nursery bed. Remove
.
the
..
seedlings
-
fromi
the primary nursery beds and transplant bare rooted' seedlings
In the .production nursery beds as soon as the proper
mOisture of substrate IS attained/arrived. Keep the inter. and
intra row distance between the seedlings at 10 cm x .lO.cm.
vln) Give light Irrigation with water-can on fourth or IiIth day:
ix) Follow usual cultural and plant protection measures Give
further irrigations by flood method as and when needed.
x) When the seedlings become 15-20 cm tall cover the lower
most 3 nodes of the seedlings with additional substrate-mix
(applied In 2-3 applications).
XI) Stop Irrigation about 10 days\ before haulm cutting.
.
Cut,the
haulms on the dates recommended for seed crop In the
I
area.
xn)· Harvest the seedling tubers alter. about 12-15 days of hall_lm
cutting.
-
xiii) Grade the tubers. Treat them by soaking In 3% bonc aCid
solullOn for 30 minutes. dry and store, for use,as seed in the
follOWing season.

Method II
i. Prepare the production nursery beds by follOWing the steps
iii to v as above. . ' .
ii. Sow tlie' TPS in the plains early In rabl season when
minimum day temperatures start touching .20±2°C.

24
iii. Irngate the nursery beds a day before sowing' of TPS. The
seeds can also be pre-germinated befo-re sowing as per
meihod detailed In section A above. '
N. Mark rows 1[1 the nursery beds at 10 cm inter-row distance.
Sow 2-3 seeds at 10 cm intra-row distance at a depth of 0 5
cni arid cover them. It will be useful if a ma(ker IS' prepared
for providing 0 5 cm deep holes,ai 10 cm x 10 cm spacing.
v. Irrigate the seed beds using a sprayer or water-can ensuring
that the -soil IS kept mOist without 'any run off of water.
, ,
vi. Provide shade over the nursery bed area from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m If the day temperatures are above 30'C for the nex115
days after TPS sowing. f:'eaf or straw mulch can also be
,used to protect the beds frOm direct, sunlight ThiS Will
hasten th~ germinatlon'by conserving moisture and reducing
sOil temperature
vii.- Irrigate the seed beds 3-4 times a day for about a week after
sowing. Subsequently, spray water once or twice a day and
keiip the nursery beds'moist.
viII Spray the seedlings with 0 1% urea (prepared by dissolving
'1 g urea in 1 litre' 6f water) on eve& third' or fourth day,

ix:
, . .
starting atter'15 -days of emergence.
,Wh~'l the seedlings attain a height" of about 15 cm" cover
the' lower most 3 nodes of the seedluigs' with additional
'substrate m',ic (applied in 2-3 applications). Repeat the
earthing up three times at Intervals of 7:8 days.
x. Follow usual cultural practices like flood IIrigatlon, 'weedlng
etc.
xi.. Slop Irrigation and cut the haulms ,on.the dates recommended
fcir seed crop in the -area.
XII. ,Harvest the seedling tubers after about 12-15 days of haulm
cutting.' ' .

xiii. Grade the tubers In four grades v;z:'below '5g, '5-10 :g, 16-
20 g and above 20 g Treat ihem by shaking' in- 3% boric
aCid solution prepared by dissolving 30,g bonc aCid In 1 litre
water fbr 30 minutes, diy and store for use as ~E!ed: in the
following season.
XN Plant the seed of below 5 g size In production nursery beds
nex1 year, Use other grades for planting in field,

25
 B-2 Crop production in field
I) Use ihe seedling tubers produced In, the prevIous crop
season as seed for raising the
crop for ware use.
iI) For mechan',cal cultivation, keep the I'nter-row distances iii
60 cm and for manual cultivation at 45 to 50 cm. Keep the
Intra-row distance (plant to plant distance in a row) according
to the tuber size given below: '

Seed size (9)

20·~0
Manual cultivation
Spacing Approx Spacing Approx.
---
Mechanized cultivation

(cm) see9 rate (cm) seed rate

(q/ha) (q/ha)
20-40 45-50 x 20 30-33 60 x 20 25
10-20 45-50 x 15 20·22 60 x 15 17
5-10 45·50 x 10 15·17 60 x 10 13

iii) Follow all the cultural and manurial practices for raising the
crop as recommended for the region
iv) Follow the seed plot technique VIZ, tlmel~{ spray of
insecticides and haulm cutting before the critical le\(el of
aphids is reached in the crop, If the produce IS to be used
for seed purposes In traditional areas of seed producllOn'
(e.g,Assam & Trlpura plains), the produce can be retained
as seed for another 3-4 years If seed plot technique is
followed stnctly.

TPS source
Besides, Central Potato Research 'Institute and its stations
at Shiliong, Patna, Modlpuram, TPS' can b~ obtained fro~:
i. Director, Horticulture, Govt, of Tnpura, Agartala-799001
2. Economic Botamist-III West Bengal Agnculture· Directorate
Mission Compound, Mldnapore-721 001
? Director, Horticulture, Govt, of Kamataka, Lal Bagh, Bangalore-
560004

26
 For further information, contact
Head,.
Central),(otato Research Station, Shlljo~g.7~3 009"l'y1eghalaya
Phone: 0364-2560885" Fax: 2560097
Gram:POTATPSEARCH, Stm:'LQN9-~
or
D"ector
Central Potato Research Institute, Shlmla 171 001, H.P.
Phone: 0177-2625073, Fax' 2624460
Gram: POTATOSEARCH, SHIMLA-1
Email. J d"ector@cpn
,
hp nic-'n
Web site. ~ttp:llcpn.hp.nlc In

-27
 ANNEXURE-t
Area (000 hal, Production ('000 tonnes), Yield (qIha) and
per capita av'ailability (kg/year) of potato in
NO,rth Eastern States (2000-2001)
~

States Area Production Yield Per capita

(OOOha) ('000 tonnes) (q/ha) , availability
(kg/year)

Arunachal Pradesh ~ 4.8 324 680 297

Assam BO 5 6773 84,.1 254
Manlpur 26' 137 52,7 57
MeghaJaya 200 lBI 6 909 7B 7
Mrzoram a3 ·24 BOO 27
Nagaland 45 479 1064 241
Trlpura 55 963 175 1 301B
SlkkJm 62 255 4t 1 471B
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