Year: 2026 | Month: June | Volume 19 | Issue 2

Evaluation of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivars for Adaptability and Productivity in a Non-traditional Potato-Growing Region of Rajasthan

H.P. Parewa1* L.N. Bairwa1 Vijay Singh Meena2 R.N. Choudhary3 Y.K. Sharma3 and Bheem Pareek3
DOI:10.30954/0974-1712.02.2026.4

Abstract:

The present study evaluated sixteen potato cultivars for different physical, morphological, growth and yield attributes and yield to find out the suitable alternative crops for enhancing the farm productivity in non-traditional areas of potato in Rajasthan. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with four replications. Significant varietal differences were observed for most of the evaluated traits. Morphological assessment revealed considerable diversity in tuber shape, skin and flesh colour, eye depth, and skin texture. Most cultivars produced oval to round tubers with shallow eyes and cream to yellow flesh, traits desirable for commercial processing. Emergence ranged from 87.17 to 95.87%, with Kufri Bahar recording the highest emergence (95.87%). Chlorophyll content (SPAD) varied from 37.63 to 44.58; while plant height ranged from 30.63 to 54.08 cm. Kufri Bahar exhibited the lowest disease incidence (10.71%), indicating better field tolerance. Tuber quality parameters also differed significantly among cultivars. Moisture content ranged from 77.52 to 82.56%, whereas dry matter content varied from 17.44 to 22.48%, with Kufri Neelkanth recording the highest dry matter (22.48%) and specific processing suitability. Total soluble solids ranged from 5.88 to 7.23 °Brix, with the maximum value observed in Kufri Bahar. Tuber yield ranged from 25.96 to 35.60 t ha⁻¹, with Kufri Bahar producing the highest yield (35.60 t ha⁻¹), followed by Kufri Bhaskar (33.53 t ha⁻¹), Kufri Lalit (33.22 t ha⁻¹), and Kufri Sukhyati (32.96 t ha⁻¹). All principal components accounted for 54.60% of the variation across all attributes. PC1 contributes 35.90% of total variance, followed by PC2 which contributes 18.70%. PCA results showed that Kufri Bahar, Kufri Bhaskar and Kufri Lalit are the highly diverse genotypes. Overall, Kufri Bahar, Kufri Bhaskar and Kufri Lalit demonstrated superior agronomic performance by combining high emergence, greater chlorophyll content, lower disease incidence, excellent processing attributes, and the highest yield, whereas Kufri Neelkanth exhibited outstanding tuber quality due to its high dry matter content. These cultivars are promising candidates for commercial cultivation and potato processing industries in the non-traditional potato-growing regions of Rajasthan.

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