Agricultural Science Digest

  • Chief EditorArvind kumar

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Agricultural Science Digest, volume 39 issue 3 (september 2019) : 195-199

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Tuber Yield and Yield Components as Influenced by Different Levels of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in Rwanda

Adrien Turamyenyirijuru, Guillaume Nyagatare, Robert Morwani Gesimba, Rhoda Jerop Birech
1<div>Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture and Food&nbsp;Sciences, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Rwanda; P.O. Box 210 Musanze/Rwanda.</div>
Cite article:- Turamyenyirijuru Adrien, Nyagatare Guillaume, Gesimba Morwani Robert, Birech Jerop Rhoda (2019). Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Tuber Yield and YieldComponents as Influenced by Different Levels of Nitrogen,Phosphorus and Potassium in Rwanda. Agricultural Science Digest. 39(3): 195-199. doi: 10.18805/ag.D-155.
Despite potato yield potential, its intensification level remain low in Rwanda, translating into low yield occasioned mainly by the decline in soil fertility. Field experiments were conducted in Birunga, Mudende [L1]) and Buberuka, Rwerere [L2] highlands Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs), during September- December 2016 and March-June 2017 crop growing seasons to determine the effects of varying rates of N, P and K on potato tuber yield and yield components. The experiments were laid out using randomized complete block design with factorial arrangement, with four replicates. Factors were N rates (NX) i.e  N1-0 kg ha-1, N2 – 50 kg ha-1, N3 – 100 kg ha-1 ; P2O5 rates (PX) i.e P1-0 kg ha-1, P2 – 50 kg ha-1, P3 – 100 kg ha-1and K2O rates (Kx) i.e K1- 0 kg ha1and K2- 50 kg ha-1. Number of tubers per plant, fresh tuber weight, small tuber yield, medium tuber yield, large tuber yield and total tuber yield were measured. Analysis of variance, performed using SAS-version 9.2, revealed that interaction effects of N×P×K were very highly significant on all parameters. Generally, N3×P3×K2 performed better than other treatments and recorded highest tuber yields in all situations: (32.73 ± 0.43) t ha-1[L1] and (29.36 ± 0.41) t ha-1 [L2] and (31.05 ± 0.52) t ha-1for pooled ANOVA. Contrarily to what happened at L2, N3P3K2 andN2P3K2 were not significantly different at L1. N2P3 K2 is recommended to L1 whereas N3P3K2 is recommended to L2.
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