Tackling moisture stress with drought-tolerant potato (Solanum tuberosum) varieties: Perception of Karnataka farmers

Abstract

Karnataka plays an imperative role of supplying processing grade potatoes to Indian processing industry during
September and December months when there is dearth of raw material. Heat and moisture stress aggravate existing grim
potato husbandry outlook due to shallow and carbon deficit soils, small and fragmented land holdings, and resource
paucity of farmers in the area. Lack of technological support may prove to be a threat to sustainability of potato farming
and growth of Indian potato processing industry. With this objective into consideration, current study was undertaken
under the broader project “Enhanced Food and Income Security in South West and Central Asia through Potato Varieties with Improved Tolerance to Abiotic Stressâ€. Farmers’ opinions on yield enhancing attributes on their farms, good and bad characters of the existing potato varieties and reasons for the abandonment potato varieties were collected and analyzed. Priority indices of farmers’ opinion on desirable attributes were computed and based on these indices top ten attributes were listed and supplied to the crop improvement team of the project. The research paper also describes some important areas where development agencies need to act sooner than later for ensuring welfare of potato farmers and crop in the area.