Productive and Economic Evaluation of Potato Hybrids under Different Water Stress Conditions

Abstract

As the scarcity of water increases, India will face the problem of decreasing annual freshwater use per capita. Drought can cause significant output losses, particularly for crops with shallow root system like potato (Solanum tuberosum). An experiment was carried out to measure the effects of different levels of irrigation on yield parameters of different potato hybrids under water stress conditions during the winter season 2018-19 in open field conditions at the field of department of vegetable science in CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. The experiment included four irrigation levels I1 (irrigation at 20mm Cummulative Pan Evaporimeter (CPE)), I2 (irigation at 25mm CPE), I3 (irrigation at 30mm CPE) and I4 (irrigation at 30mm CPE + 5 t/ha grass mulch) and five potato hybrids under two different crops at 60 and 75 days. The results revealed that yield parameters i.e., total tuber yield, number of tubers in each grade, yield of tubers in each grade, harvest index, and biological yield were higher in both 60 and 75 days of crops under irrigation level 20 mm CPE (I1) and hybrid P-38. But, under water-stressed conditions, hybrid P-38 with an I4 schedule saves one irrigation and yields more than I3. The maximum water use efficiency (19.27 and 20.56 q/ha/mm) was attained with irrigation level I4 in 60 and 75 days of crop. In water stress conditions (I4) potato hybrid P-38 produced the highest net returns and benefit cost ratio (1.49 and 2.29). It was found that the potato hybrid P-38 with I4 was more cost-effective and produced more tubers in areas with lower water tables and less water.