1Central Potato Research Station, Patna-801506.
2Division of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, 171001.
Field trials were carried out during rabi of 1978 and 1979 with three potato varieties Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Sindhuri to study the effect of removal of plant tops on plant growth and yield. The removal of plant tops on 20 days after planting or at tuber initiation stage increased the branches, leaves and prolonged leaf area duration (LAD). This increase in LAD influenced tuber size. but had adverse effect on tuber number and even on yields of Kufri Chandramukhi and Kufri Jyoti. Despite an increase in LAD during tuber development phase of all the three varieties tried, the removal of plant tops was found effective only for the late variety, Kufri Sindhuri, in which topping at the tuber initiation stage was found best for significant increase in yield of 13% (47 q/ha) over control.
