Agronomic performance of twelve elite potato genotypes in southwestern Uganda

Abstract

Twelve potato genotypes including two checks were evaluated for yield and resistance to late blight. Weekly assessments of late blight severity were done using a 1-9 CIP scale and percentage leaf area affected. In 1998A all genotypes yielded better than the local checks (Kisoro and Victoria) except for 391558.16 that yielded lower than Victoria. In 1998B only 4 genotypes (389685.2, 389698.12, 389584.33 and 391557.1) performed better than the local checks, while in 1999A only 3 genotypes performed better than the local checks. Better yields were recorded in 1999B, which ranged from 15.2 to 44.7 Mt ha-1. The average yields for the genotypes in four seasons were 21.7, 16.7, 20.2 and 29.8 Mt ha-1, respectively. All genotypes showed higher levels of resistance to late blight than Victoria (28.8%), except 389484.20 in 1998B with AUDPC of 28.8%. Field evaluation at the two sites in 2000B generally showed a similar trend. The promising clones are undergoing multilocational trials in different parts of Uganda.


Key Words: Genotype evaluation, late blight resistance, Kisoro, Victoria, Uganda>


(African Crop Science Journal 2001 9(1): 17-24)