Abstract

This experiment was aimed to evaluate the performance of potato varieties in respect to growth, yield and quality attributes. A field experiment was carried out in Bule, Southern Ethiopia during the summer of 2017 under rain fed condition. The experiment was a single factor and arranged with randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. Treatments included different potato varieties (Bule, Gudenie, Jalenie, Belete, Degemegni and Local variety “Key Dench”). The results showed statistically significant variations in almost all of the parameters. The highest total yield (36.533 t ha^-1) and marketable tuber yield (33.985 t ha^-1) were obtained from Belete variety, unmarketable tuber yield from Degemegni (5.0370 t ha^-1) and Key Dench (8.5036 t ha^-1), average tuber weight from Gudenie (58.67g) and Belete (63.38g), large-sized tuber yield from Bule (54.716%), Gudenie (53.81%) and Belete (59.446 %), small-sized tuber from Key Dench (59.576%), days to flowering and maturity from Gudenie (65.7 and 113.3 days, respectively) and Belete (66.3 and 115.67 days, respectively), plant height on Bule (100 cm), stem number in Bule (4.917) and Jalenie (4.583), total and marketable tuber number from Bule (841473 and 477032 ha^-1, respectively), unmarketable tuber number on Key Dench (571846 ha^-1), tuber dry matter from Bule (22.331%), Gudenie (22.495%), Jalenie (22.653%), Belete (24.088%) and Key Dench (21.961%) varieties. Yield of tuber per hectare was significantly and positively correlated with plant height, days to physiological maturity, large-sized tuber, marketable tuber number and yield. In conclusion, results of the experiment revealed that Belete variety resulted as best total (36.533 t ha^-1) and marketable (33.985 t ha^-1) tuber yields in Bule, Southern Ethiopia during 2017 rainy season.

Key words: Bule, potato, rainfed, yield, variety.