International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol.14, No.3, 135-141 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 137 In each treatment, five plants were selected as samples and evaluated for study. The data collection was done for different parameters like days for germination, plant height (cm), stem girth (cm), stem no., plant spread (cm), tuber weight (kg/m2), and tuber number per grade. Total healthy germinated seedlings out of the total were counted to find the percentage of germination. Plant height was measured from the soil surface to the topmost growth point by using a scale and stem girth by rolling the tape around the plant stem. Also, canopy cover was obtained by measuring the diagonal distance. Data collection was done at 60, 75, and 90 days after sowing. Yield was noted from each sampled plant in kg/m2, and the average number of tubers per m2 was also determined. Tubers after harvest were graded in different size ranges and were evaluated. 1.3 Statistical analysis The collected data was systematically entered in MS Excel and was analyzed using the software, R- Studio. Duncan’s multiple Range Test (DMRT) was used to separate and compare means at a 5% level of significance (Gomez and Gomez, 1984). 2 Results and Discussion 2.1 Growth parameters 2.1.1 Percentage of germination The ANOVA results showed germination percent by both variety and mulching methods was significantly different at the 5% level (Table 3). The Khumal Seto variety had quick and high germination (83.33%) while the Cardinal variety exhibited a lower rate (61.33%) at 30 DAP. For the mulching, the rate of germination was high in black plastic mulching (92) followed by silver mulching (83.33%), organic mulching (65.67%), and control (58.33) at 30 DAP. Also, the results showed that the interaction had a significant effect on germination percentage (Table 4). The variety Khumal Seto demonstrated a higher germination percentage (93.33%) in black plastic mulch as compared to others. Plastic mulching expedited the potato germination and emergence by elevating the topsoil temperature. Black plastic mulches effectively maintain the optimal temperature by the absorption of solar radiation and enhance crop emergence (Li et al., 2017). Notably, black polyethylene mulch has been found to elevate soil temperature by up to 9 degrees Celsius (Kumari, 2012). Table 3 Effect of varieties and mulching method on growth parameters of potato Treatment Germination (%) Height (cm) Stem number Stem girth (cm) Plant spread (cm) Variety Khumal Seto 88.33a 35.81a 5.91b 3.03a 44.12a Cardinal 61.33b 25.11b 11.17a 2.49b 40.86a LSD(0.05) 8.51 2.73 1.48 0.05 4.54 SEM(±) 0.06 0.64 0.48 2.81 1.5 F probability <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 NS CV% 9.68 7.24 19.85 6.05 26.9 Mulching method Black plastic mulch 92a 34.82a 9.5a 3.10a 48.13a Silver plastic mulch 83.33a 33.70a 8.66a 2.88b 45.93ab Organic mulch 65.67b 28.43b 8.5a 2.63c 40.58bc Control 58.33b 24.90c 7.5a 2.44c 35.33c LSD(0.05) 12.04 2.82 2.09 0.21 6.42 SEM(±) 0.08 0.90 0.69 0.07 2.11 F probability <0.001 <0.001 NS <0.001 <0.01 CV% 12.99 7.24 19.85 6.05 12.21 Grandmean 74.83 30.46 8.54 2.76 42.5 Note: ± Means of 3 replications. Means in column with same superscript is not significantly different by DMRT at 0.05 level, LSD: Least Significant Difference, CV: Coefficient of variation, SEM (±): Standard error of mean
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