EFFECT OF SOIL SOLARIZATION ON MULTIPLICATION OF IN-VITRO PLANTING MATERIALS OF POTATO UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at CPRS, Jalandhar to study the effect of soil solarization on weeds and productivity of micro-tuber and mini-tuber crops of 3 potato cultivars. Mean maximum soil temperature recorded under the polyethylene mulch was 53.3 °C at the surface, 50.5 °C at 5 cm, 44.0 °C at 10 cm and 38.6 °C at 15 cm soil depth, which was higher than unsoalrized plots by 10.96 °C, 9.4 °C, 5.6 °C and 3.9 °C at respective depths. Soil solarization for 4 weeks increased available nutrients (N, P, K) by 15.7, 67.3 and 49.0% at planting and 11.44, 13.1 and 32.2 % at harvesting. It reduced the weed population up to 98.0% and its fresh weight up to 99.2%. Yield from micro-tuber and mini-tuber crops was higher in solarized plots (279.0 and 456.9 q/ha, respectively) as compared to unsoalrized plots (193.2 and 399.2 q/ha, respectively).