International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol.14, No.3, 135-141 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 138 Table 4 Interaction effect of varieties and mlching method on different parameters of potato Treatment Germination (%) Height (cm) Tuber weight (kg/m2) Tubers no (>100gm) Khumal Seto*Black plastic mulch 93.33a 40.87a 5.10a 12.67a Khumal Seto*silver plastic mulch 90.67a 36.23b 4.3b 8.33b Khumal Seto*Organic mulch 82.67a 34.3bc 3.35c 8.67b Khumal Seto*Control 86.67a 31.87cd 2.19d 3.33c Cardinal*Black plastic mulch 90.67a 28.77d 2.16d 1cd Cardinal*silver plastic mulch 76a 31.16cd 1.88d 0.33d Cardinal*Organic mulch 48.67b 22.56e 1.59de 1.33cd Cardinal*Control 30c 17.93f 0.98e 0d LSD(0.05) 2.67 3.86 0.67 2.67 SEM(±) 5.61 1.27 0.22 0.88 F probability <0.01 <0.05 <0.01 <0.01 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 2.1.2 Plant height The experimental data showed that the Khumal seto variety had the tallest plants (35.81 cm) while the Cardinal had the shortest (25.11 cm) with a significant difference at the 5% level (Table 3). Statistically similar mean height was observed among black plastic (34.82 cm), silver plastic mulch (33.7 cm), and as well in organic mulch (28.4 cm) and control (24.9 cm). The increased height in mulched plants is likely attributed to a significant difference also in the interaction between the two factors (Table 4). Khumal Seto with black plastic mulching exhibited greater height (40.87 cm), while the control effect of the Cardinal variety showed smaller height (17.93 cm). The results are also supported by (Bharati et al., 2020), who explained that mulching facilitates the soil moisture availability and maintenance of soil temperature which increases plant height especially black plastic mulch. Also, Joshi et al. (2020) concluded that increased plant height was observed in mulch conditions than in control. 2.1.3 Number of stems and stem girth The results showed that the number of stems per tuber and stem girth was significantly different among varieties at the 5% level (Table 3). The Cardinal variety showed a maximum number of stems (11.1) while a minimum number of stems was observed in the Khumal Seto variety (5.91). Such a response was also reported by (Paudel et al., 2023). However, the difference in stem numbers was not statistically significant in the case of mulching materials. Stem girth was also higher in the Khumal seto variety (3.03 cm) than Cardinal (2.49 cm) (Table 3). Regarding mulching, the highest stem girth was recorded in black plastic mulch (3.10 cm) as compared to others. The experiment led by (Bhandari and Bhandari, 2021) on the effect of mulching materials on broccoli also described root and shoot growth of plants as favored from plastic mulch. 2.1.4 Plant spread The plant spread of potatoes was significantly influenced by different methods of mulching material at the 5% level of significance but not by a variety and interaction effects (Table 3). The ANOVA result showed that the highest plant spread was observed in black plastic mulch (48.13 cm) followed by silver plastic (45.93 cm) and organic mulch (40.58 cm) while the lowest was observed in the control treatment (35.3 cm). The observed response was primarily a result of the soil’s physiochemical and biological enhancements under mulch conditions, providing favorable temperature and moisture levels, improved nutrient availability, and increased microbial activity (Bharati et al., 2020). Mulched plots exhibited significantly higher nitrogen and phosphorus content, along with increased nutrient uptake, compared to their un-mulched counterparts, essential for the proper vegetative growth of plants (Hundal et al., 2000).
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