Mst. Farhana Yasmin
Department of Horticulture, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur-1706, Bangladesh.
Mohammad Zakaria
Department of Horticulture, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur-1706, Bangladesh.
Planting time, Spacing, Potato
Horticultural Research Farm, BSMRAU, Gazipur.
Crop-Soil-Water Management
The field experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Research Farm, BSMRAU, Gazipur during the winter season of 2007-08. The location of the experimental site is at the center of Madhupur Tract (24.09 0 N latitude and 90.26 0 longitudes) at 8.5 m above sea level. The soil of the experimental field was silty clay of Shallow Red Brown Terrace type under Salna Series of Modhupur Tract in Agroecological zone (AEZ) 28. The soil contains a pH of 6.4. The experimental site is situated in a sub-tropical climate zone and characterized by no rainfall from December to March and plenty during the rest of the year. Mean weekly data on relative humidity, rainfall, and maximum and minimum temperature during the study period were noted from the meteorological station of BSMRAU. Top shoot cuttings of standard potato variety Diamant was used in the experiment. The seed was collected from the Tuber Crop Research Center (TCRC). The experiment consisted of two factors including planting time and plant density. Factor -A (Planting times) included P1 = 25, November, P2 = 5, December and P3 = 15, December. Factor- B (Plant density /spacing) included S1 = (96 plants /m2 or 50 cm X 10 cm), S2 = (64 plants / m2 or 50 cm X 15 cm) and S3 = (48 plants / m2 or 50 cm X 20 cm). A small piece of land was ploughed, laddered, and leveled until fine tilth. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium fertilizer were applied @ cowdung 10 tons / ha, urea 350 kg / ha, TSP 220 kg / ha and MP 270 kg / ha. The full dose of TSP and Mp and 1/3 rd urea were applied at final land preparation and the rest of 2/3 rd urea were applied in two splits at 10 days interval from emergence for better vegetative growth. Well sprouted seed tubers of Diamant variety were planted on 25, October to produce top shoot cuttings. When the plants reached 20-25 cm height first top shoot cuttings were taken and planted after treating with hormone (15 ppm IBA and 10 ppm IAA) in a well-prepared seedbed containing a sand and well rotten cowdung at the ratio of 1: 1 at 10, November 2007 for rooting. Another two top shoot cuttings were taken on 15, November and 30, November and planted in the well-prepared seedbed for rooting. Thus, rooted top shoot cuttings were prepared for planting on 25, November, 05 December and 15, December. The experiment having two factors was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The entire experimental field was divided into three blocks, representing three replications. Each of which is again divided into ten unit plots. The treatment was assigned randomly to unit plots of each block. Thus, the total number of the unit plots was 30. The size of a unit plot was 2.0 m X 2.4 m. The experimental field was mechanically ploughed, laddered, and leveled until fine tilth. Irrigation channels were prepared around the plots as per design. Full doses of cowdung (10 t / ha), TSP (220 kg /ha), MP (270 kg / ha), Gypsum (120 kg / ha), ZnSO4 (14 kg / ha), Boric acid 6 kg / ha and half doses of urea (175 kg / ha) were applied final land preparation. The rest half the doses of urea (175 kg/ha) were applied as a top dressing in two splits. Data on different morphological, physiological, and tuber characters were recorded on the following parameters from the sample plants of each plot during the course of the experiment. The sampling was done randomly. The plants in the outer row were excluded during randomization. Five plants were randomly selected from each plot to record the data on the rate of plant survivability (%), plant vigor, plant height (cm), foliage coverage (%), number of branches per plant, number of tubers per plant, the weight of tubers per plant, the yield of tubers (kg/plot and tons/ha), tuber grade by number (%), tuber grade by weight (%) and economic analysis: BCR calculation. To find out the significance of the experimental result the collected data on different parameters were analyzed statistically by using MSTAT-C program. The mean for all the treatments was calculated and analysis of variance for each parameter was performed by F-test. The mean separation was done by the DMRT at a 5 % level of probability.
International Journal of Natural and Social Sciences, 2019, 6(1):60-69
Journal