Effect of soil solarization on soil fertilisation, yield and health of potato tubers

Field trials revealed that fertiliser (NPK) levels can be reduced to 3/4^th of full recommended dose (240 Kg N: 100 Kg P₂O₅:150 Kg K₂O) along with soil solarization (SS), to get at par or better tuber yield and quality as with full NPK dose without solarization (USS). Total tuber yield with 3/4^th dose of NPK in SS (317.53 q/ha) was significantly higher than that of full dose of NPK in unsolarized soil (297.1 q/ha). The yield of seed size tubers in SS at full (192.9 q/ha) and 3/4^th (180.9 q/ha) NPK dose did not differ significantly. The number of seed size tubers in SS at all NPK doses (238 to 297 × 10³) above zero remained at par with full NPK dose (277 × 10³) in unsolarized soil. The health of potato improved significantly with SS at all NPK levels. In SS 73.9 per cent apparently healthy tubers were recorded with 3/4^th NPK dose and 65.77 per cent with full dose.