International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol.14, No.3, 135-141 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 135 Research Report Open Access Effect of Various Mulching Methods on Growth and Yield Parameters of Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Varieties in Achham, Nepal Sujan Ghimire , Pooja Bhusal, Ashok Rijal, Nirajan Acharya, Praju Ghimire Faculty of Agriculture, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, 44209, Nepal Corresponding email: ghsujan710@gmail.com International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol.14, No.3 doi: 10.5376/ijh.2024.14.0015 Received: 26 Mar., 2024 Accepted: 22 May, 2024 Published: 30 May, 2024 Copyright © 2024 Ghimire et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Ghimire S., Bhusal P., Rijal A., Acharya N., and Ghimire P., 2024, Effect of various mulching methods on growth and yield parameters of potato (Solanum tuberosum) varieties in Achham, Nepal, International Journal of Horticulture, 14(3): 135-141 (doi: 10.5376/ijh.2024.14.0015) Abstract A field experiment was conducted from February to June 2022 at Thulasen of Mangalsen Municipality-Achham, Nepal to determine the suitability of various mulching materials on the growth and yield of different potato varieties. Two major varieties i.e. Khumal Seto and Cardinal grown with four types of mulching material (Black plastic mulch, Silver plastic mulch, Organic mulch, and Control) were set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The vegetative parameters evaluated were germination percentage at 20 and 30 DAP, plant height, aerial stem number, plant spread, and stem girth at 60, 75, and 90 days after planting (DAP). In contrast, the reproductive parameters including tuber number/m2, yield (kg/m2) and graded tuber (number/m2) for three grades were taken after potato harvest. Data entry and analysis were done in MS- Excel and R-studio software respectively. Findings revealed that at a 5% level of significance, a significant difference was found in the interaction effect of variety and mulching material respective to germination, height, average yield, and tuber numbers for (>100 gm). Khumal Seto in black plastic mulch was found significantly superior for germination percentage at 30 DAP (93.33%), plant height (40.87 m), and yield parameters like average tuber yield (5.10 kg/m2) and tuber number above 100 gm (12.67). In addition, the Khumal seto variety had greater stem girth (3.03 cm) and tuber yield while the Cardinal variety had a maximum number of stems (11.17). The highest plant spread (48.13 cm) and stem girth (3.10 cm) were observed in black plastic mulch and the lowest was in control in 60, 75, and 90 DAP. Khumal Seto in black plastic mulch was found to be the most effective treatment for increasing the overall production of potatoes. Keywords Cardinal; Khumal seto; Mulching; Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an important commercial vegetable and food crop of hills and Himalayan region in Nepal. It occupies the fifth position in area coverage, second in total production, and first in productivity among the food crops grown in Nepal. Potato is a temperate crop that can be grown from an altitude of 300 m to 1,800 masl. The area under potato cultivation in Nepal is 198,256 ha with an average production and productivity of 3,410,829 tons and 17.2 t/ha respectively (MOALD, 2021/22). Potato solely accounts for 6.57% of the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AGDP) and 2.17% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (MoF, 2019). Achham covers an area of 1,692 km2 (653 sq. miles) and extends from the latitude of 280°46’ North to a longitude of 810°32’ East. It has 90% area of mid-hill and 10% high hill. Potato is mostly cultivated among all crops in a land of 1,012 ha with a total production of 14,674 mt and yield of 14.5 mt/ha in Achham district (ABPSD, 2021/22). It has a pivotal role as a cash crop to address food insecurity and reduce poverty among smallholder farmers in developing countries like Nepal (Timilsina et al., 2013). It works as a complete food as it contains carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins B, and C, and minerals like phosphorus, calcium, and iron. Mulching has become an essential agronomic practice that modifies the physical environment of the soil, suppresses weeds, checks the application of herbicide effect, and improves soil fertility (Prem et al., 2020). It also defines the increased yield and productivity of potatoes. Mulching also has a significant influence on the growth and yield of potatoes (Begum and Saikia, 2014). Mulching also promotes soil water infiltration and crop water availability which helps to improve soil biodiversity and environmental benefits (Memon et al., 2017). Mulches function as cover crops to reduce tillage operations that have some ecological advantages over conventional land preparation
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