Preliminary Investigation of Whole Versus Sliced (Cut) Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Tubers Performance in Pankshin, North Central, Nigeria

Abstract

Potato is a highly perishable crop and storage facilities for the crop are also limited. Consequently, to keep planting materials (seed) from the end of one cropping season to the beginning of another pose a great challenge to growers. This study was conducted during the 2019 cropping season in Pankshin, Plateau state, Northern Guinea savanna zone, Nigeria to compare the performance of whole seed tubers (T1) and slice seed tubers (T2) of potato. The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), each replicated thrice. Individual plots have a dimension of 3 m x 5 m with distance of 1 m between blocks and 0.5m between plots. Parameters evaluated were rate of plant germination from cultivated tubers, plant height and fresh yield.  The data were analysed using T – test. Results showed that there was no significant difference between whole seed potato and sliced tuber seed for all the parameters tested.  This study suggests that in areas where seed tubers are scarce, growers should cut there potato seed tubers to enable them have more seeds for planting. Storage facilities should be provided to farmers by government and spirited individuals or groups in order to reduce the high costs of seeds for planting.