Assessing physico-chemical properties of potato as affected by different irrigation methods

In order to evaluate the effect of various irrigation methods on tuber yield and some biochemical and structural properties of various potato cultivars, an experiment was conducted in a split-plot arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications at experiment station of the Agricultural Faculty of Bardsir, Shahid-Bahonar University of Kerman in 2015. The experimental treatments were irrigation methods (1- Furrow (flooding), 2-sprinkler and 3- drip) assigned to main plot, and potato cultivars (1- Bardsir (Marphona), 2- Sante, 3- Agria and 4- Banba) as subplot. The results showed that tuber yield was significantly higher in surface irrigation (36.98 t ha-1) than the other two methods. The tuber yield in Sante, Bardsir, Bambo and Agria cultivars was 34.84, 28.91, 26.41, 21.57 t.ha-1, respectively. The tuber dry matter percentage was not affected by irrigation methods, but in the conventional cultivar (22.89%) was significantly higher than the other cultivars. The vitamin C content had a similar trend with tuber yield, and was maximum in surface irrigation method (2.41 mg. g-1 FW) and Bardsir cultivar (2.48 mg. g-1 FW). K content showed a reverse trend with tuber yield. The tuber hardness in sprinkler and drip irrigation was significantly more than the surface irrigation method. Among the studied cultivars, the conventional cultivar included the hardest tuber structure. The results showed that the values of starch, sugar, protein and cohesiveness were significantly affected by the interaction of irrigation method and cultivar. These indices had also a different trend from the tuber yield. The highest value of sugar (9.5 mg. g-1 FW) and protein (26.2 mg. g-1 FW) were assigned to drip irrigation. Bardsir cultivar in drip irrigation included the highest value of starch (16.3%). In general, in areas with sandy-clay-loam texture, the use of drip and also sprinkler irrigation methods was suitable to reach the highest potato quality indices, while flooding irrigation resulted in producing the highest tuber yield and vitamin C.