Effect of Plant Spacing and Seed Size on The Growth, Development and Yield of Potatoes

Abstract

Potato is one of the most valuable food crops and a mainstay in the diets of people in many parts of the world. It is one of the crops that play key roles as a source of food, income, and a raw material for factories in Uganda. This article mainly focuses on the effect of plant spacing and seed size on the number of tubers produced on the potato plant. Nakapot 1 variety of potatoes was used in this study. The experiment consisted of two factors. Plant density and seed size, the first factor involved three seed sizes; greater than 46mm, (S3) 35-45mm (S2) 20-34mm (S1) in diameter. Spacing was 75 by 40cm (P1) 75 by 30cm (P2) 75 by 25cm (P3). These were arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications in each row that had three plots. Thus, there were 9 plots for each treatment. The study concluded that a spacing of 75 by 40cm planted with seeds of 46mm produces more tubers in number than other seed sizes planted at the given spacing above.