Effect of pre-harvest foliar application of chemical sprout suppressants on growth, yield, quality and sprout suppression in potato cv. Shalimar Potato 1

Sprouting of potato is a major physiological cause of deterioration during storage, leading to significant losses in quality, nutritional value and marketability. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different chemical sprout suppressants applied as pre-harvest foliar sprays for improving growth, yield, quality and sprout inhibition in potato cv. Shalimar Potato 1. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications and thirteen treatments, including control. Treatments consisted of four sprout suppressants, viz., salicylic acid, paclobutrazol, glyphosate and cycocel, each applied at three different concentrations. The results revealed that pre-harvest foliar application of salicylic acid at 250 mg l⁻¹ (T₂) significantly enhanced growth and yield attributes, recording maximum plant height (72.4cm), plant spread (44.4cm), number of branches per plant (5.3), harvest index (76%), average tuber weight (101 g) and tuber yield (33.62 t ha⁻¹), along with quality parameters such as total soluble solids (6.41 °Brix), vitamin C content (19.66 mg 100 g⁻¹), dry matter (22.85%), specific gravity (1.086), and tuber firmness (9.83 kg cm⁻²). Moreover, the same treatment effectively minimized physiological loss of weight (12.45%), sprouting percentage (74.49%), number of sprouts per tuber (4.6), sprout length (29.03 mm) and sprout thickness (2.00 mm). Thus, salicylic acid at 250 mg l⁻¹ proved to be the most effective treatment for enhancing growth, yield, and quality while suppressing sprouting in potato under the given conditions