The Potato: King of Vegetables

The potato is called the king of vegetables. There is hardly a kitchen in India where you won't find potatoes. Besides tasty dishes such as spicy curries, pakoras, chaat, papad and chips, packaged snacks like Uncle Chips, bhujia and Kurkure win over every young heart. Along with protein, starch and vitamins C and K, potatoes contain good amounts of amino acids such as tryptophan, leucine and isoleucine, which are essential for the body's growth. The potato is one of India's most important crops and is grown across the country except in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Farmers have been growing potatoes for about 7,000 years.

Climate

Potatoes need short days. Depending on where a suitable climate is available, potatoes are grown somewhere in India all year round. During growth the crop needs moderate cold; in the plains it is usually grown in winter (the rabi season). The optimum temperature for growth and development is 15–25 °C. Sprouting needs about 25 °C, vegetative growth 20 °C and tuber development 17–19 °C. At higher temperatures (30 °C) tuber development is affected. From October to March, long nights and bright short days are good for tubers to form and grow. Cloudy days, rain and high humidity create favourable conditions for fungal and bacterial diseases to spread in the crop.

Soil

Potatoes can be grown in all kinds of soil except alkaline soil, but sandy loam or silty loam rich in organic matter is best. Good drainage is essential. A soil pH of 5.2 to 6.5 has been found most suitable; as the pH rises, conditions become unfavourable for a good yield.

Since the tubers form underground, the soil must be thoroughly loose and friable. Do the first ploughing with a mould-board (soil-turning) plough and the second and third with a desi plough or harrow. If there are clods, run a plank (pata) over the field to break the soil down. There must be enough moisture in the soil at sowing; if the field is dry, give a pre-sowing irrigation (paleva) and then plough.

Potato varieties

Foreign varieties: some foreign varieties have been adapted to Indian conditions, among them Up-to-Date, Craigs Defiance and President.

Varieties developed by the Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla:

• Kufri Chandramukhi — ready in 80–90 days; yield 200–250 quintals.
• Kufri Alankar — ready in 70 days; somewhat resistant to late blight; yields 200–250 quintals per hectare.
• Kufri Bahar 3792 E — ready in 90–110 days, or 100–135 days under long-day conditions.
• Kufri Navtal G 2524 — ready in 75–85 days; yield 200–250 quintals/ha.
• Kufri Jyoti — ready in 80–120 days; yield 150–250 quintals/ha.
• Kufri Sheetman — ready in 100–130 days; yield 250 quintals/ha.
• Kufri Badshah — ready in 100–120 days; yield 250–275 quintals/ha.
• Kufri Sindoori — ready in 120–140 days; yield 300–400 quintals/ha.
• Kufri Deva — ready in 120–125 days; yield 300–400 quintals/ha.
• Kufri Lalima — an early variety ready in 90–100 days, with round tubers, somewhat deep eyes and pink skin; moderately resistant to early blight.
• Kufri Lavkar — ready in 100–120 days; yield 300–400 quintals/ha.
• Kufri Swarna — ready in 110 days; yield 300 quintals/ha.

Hybrid varieties:

• Kufri Jawahar JH 222 — ready in 90–110 days; resistant to early blight and phoma disease in the field; yields 250–300 quintals.
• E 4,486 — ready in 135 days; yield 250–300 quintals; suited to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
• JF 5106 — suited to the plains of north India; a 75-day crop yielding 23–28 tonnes per hectare.