USE OF SPROUTS FOR RAPID MULTIPLICATION IN POTATO (SOLANUM-TUBEROSUM)

An experiment was conducted during 1988-89 and 1989-90 on the use of sprouts for rapid multiplication in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Survival of sprouts and their yield potential were significantly better on east, west and south sides of the ridge than on north. Mixing of the basal dose of fertilizer in the soil at the time of planting the sprouts too was beneficial. Delay in planting of the sprouts from 27 October to 11 November improved the survival of sprouts (from 34.4 to 51.6%) without changing the productivity, whereas planting on 26 November not only improved their survival further (59.9%) but also increased the tubers/sprout with significant reduction in tuber size. Despite varietal variations, 2 times planting of the sprouts of a mother tuber directly in the field on eastern side of the ridge resulted in overall 120.4 times multiplication. The next best was 2 times planting of the sproutlings detached from mother tuber planted either in field or in a sand-bed. These were at par in both the years, giving respectively 52.3 and 50.8 times multiplication compared with 26.5 and 37.9 times in the crops raised from whole and cut tubers. Soaking of tuber in 2 ppm gibberellic acid solution increased the multiplication rate and reduced the tuber size in all the techniques except direct planting of the in the field, which proved most effective for rapid multiplication of potato.