Plant emergence, potato yield and yield components as affected by timing of tillage systems

Abstract

Plant emergence, potato yield and yield components as affected by timing of tillage systems were investigated in Mid-Anatolia Climate Belt of Turkey. Timing of tillage systems were mouldboard plough in autumn+disc harrow in spring+planting (AMPD); chisel in autumn+ disc harrow in spring+planting (ACD); mouldboard plough+disc harrow in spring+planting (SMPD); chisel+disc harrow in spring+planting (SCD); rotovator in spring+planting (SR) respectively. Plant emergence as mean emerged dates (MED), emerged rate index (ERI), percentage of emerged seedling (PE) were calculated for Hermes and Marfona potato cultivars, respectively. Potato yield and yield components as total tuber yield (TTY), plant yield (PY), tuber number (TN), mean tuber weigth (MTW) were determined for each cultivar, respectively. MED, ERI and PE were determined as 29.60 days, 0.100 seedling/m day and 86.0% for Marfona cultivar, respectively. Total tuber yield varied from 38.03 and 48.74 t ha-1 for Hermes and Marfona potato cultivars, respectively. ACD system was yielded higher total tuber yield than that of the other tillage systems. For Hermes and Marfona potato cultivars were evaluated with the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to most appropriate indices the best indices for the plant emergence, yield and yield components. The differences in each of the plant emergence and yield components among the cultivars studied were significant. In particular, the cultivars demonstrated different reactions to the studied parameters. The results indicated that MED, TNPP and ST were the most appropriate indices to emergence, yield and yield components for Hermes cultivar, whereas the other indices were the best indices for Marfona cultivar.