Effect of different row spacings and weed interference on tuber yield and other agricultural traits of potato at the conditions of Khuzestan province

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of different row spacings (20, 25, and 30 cm) and competition of weeds at two full-season and non-existence of weeds and potato on potato`s yield and traits. As the last 5 years, Agria variety of potato was planted without using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides during plantation. The experiment was conducted as split plots in the form of random blocks for one year. The effect of spacing and weed, respectively as the main and secondary factors, on all properties was significant at %1 level, but the interaction of both factors was significant on the yield and weight of the tuber. The maximum yield, like the number of tuber per plant, was achieved at weed-free conditions in 25cm spacing with an average of 10.37 tons/ha. In addition, maximum weight of tuber was achieved at weed-free conditions in 30 cm spacing with an average of 121g. Number of stems per plant and number of main stems per 1meter were increased unlike the height of plant and reduction of density, which were resulted from the increase of spacings. It was also concluded that tuber yield has a significant correlation with the number of tubers per plant (0.952**), which is achieved in narrow spacings if foodstuff is available.