Introduction

• Potato is considered as the king in food staples and hardly any domestic kitchen is available where it is not used in routine in one form or the other.
• It contains starch, sugar, cellulose, crude fibre, pectic substances, Protein, amino acids, organic auds, lipids, vitamin c, enzymes, minerals (P, Ca, Mg, K, Fe, S, Cl) etc. considered useful for human health.
• Potato being a fast growing crop fits well in different multiple and inter cropping systems.
• On account of its short duration and high yield potential character, potato is called a cash crop.

India is the fifth largest producer of potatoes in the world after china, Russia, Poland and USA. Its commercial cultivation and consumption in large Quantities, however, began only from 1932. There was a consistent increase in area since 1950-51. The area under its cultivation started from 240 thousand ha in 1950-51 to 1235 thousand ha in 1998-99. The corresponding production values mere 1660 thousand tonne and 23562 thousand tones, respectively, clearly showing the suitability of this crop and scope for its further improvement.

• Potato export market in the world does not anywhere due to high price and non-uniformity in the quality of the produce.
• India has enjoyed the opportunity to export to the neighboring small countries (Table 3) and can still do better by improving the potato quality.
• In Punjab, the primary potato belt is confined to Doaba region of Hoshiarpur – Jalandhar – Kapurthala.
• Though potato is extensively grown in the districts Amritsar, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala and Bhatinda.
• The seed potato is grown in Amritsar and Jalandhar.
• It is grown on about 45000 ha area and in normal year Punjab produces 800 – 1000 thousand tones of potatos.
• Some of the farmers do resowing of crop in November after the harvesting of September sown crop, which is harvested in January – February.
• Among different zones for potato – growing, Punjab falls in the plains zone of India designated as North – Western plains zone – VI.
• This zone extends over Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and some parts of other neighboring states.
• It accounts for 4.3% of all the total area under cultivation in India.
• This zone is about 200 – 300 m above sea level and comprises deep allunial soils of neutral to slightly alkaline reaction.
• Potato is grown as early (Autumn), main and spring crop in this region.
• The early crop planted in September is exposed to high temperatures during emergence and in early stages till tube irrigation.
• The main crop planted in October does not generally experience high temperature at planting but is often exposed to frost in the later stages.
• The spring crop which is planted in January faces low temperature at planting but high temperature later during tuber development till harvest and in April.
• The early crop is partially sold in the market to take advantage of high market prices.
• But bulk of the produce is reserved for seed export to other states of India, as this is free of insect pest vector.
• This zone is important for production of seed potatoes which are supplied to the peninsular and north – eastern parts of India.

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Area and Production

Introduction

• Potato is most widely grown vegetable crop in the country with a share of 28 per cent.
• The area under potato cultivation is 1.9Million ha with total production of 22.8 MT.
• The main varieties of potato grown in the country are Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Badshah, Kufri Himalani, Kufri Sindhuri, Kufri Lalima etc.
• Uttar Pradesh is the leading potato growing state in the country followed by West Bengal and Bihar.
• In Karnataka potato is considered as a important commercial crop in uttar Karnataka region
• It is widely cultivated in Belgaum and Dharwad districts.

Area, Production and Productivity of major Potato growing Countries (2012)

Source: FAOStat

All India Area, Production and Yield of Potato from 2001-2013

Source: National Horticulture Board

Statewise Area, Production and Yield of Potato in 2012-13

Source: National Horticulture Board

Classification

• Potato is the most useful and important member of the family Solonaceae and it belongs to genus Solanum which consists of 7 cultivated and about 154 wild species but the commercially viable potato has only 2 species.

Solanum Andigenum

• The plants of the species are characterized with thin and long stems, small and narrow leaflets having profuse flowering and long stolons. It is not very common.
• The tubers are mostly covered with deep sunken eyes on them. The yielding potential is very low and, therefore, it is not grown on large scale.

Solanum Tuberosum

• It is more common plants have shorter and thicker stem, larger and wider leaflets.
• In addition to the above-mentioned species Solanum Lemissum and Solanum Stenotonum are also of some importance as they are resistant to some form of virus and diseases, but they are also not being cultivating commercially.

India's Country wise Export of Potatos

Source:National Horticulture Board

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About the Indian Potato Association

Established in 1974 to coincide with the silver jubilee of the CPRI, the Association has the following major objectives

Source : International seminar at Jalandhar