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Pak. J. Bot., 44(5): 1543-1550,  2012.

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EFFECT OF ENCAPSULATED CALCIUM CARBIDE APPLICATION AT DIFFERENT GROWTH STAGES ON POTATO (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM L.) GROWTH, YIELD AND TUBER QUALITY

NADEEM AKHTAR ABBASI^*, MUHAMMAD ZAHOOR, HAMMAD AZIZ KHAN AND ABDUL AHAD QURESHI

Abstract: Plant growth substances play a vital role in growth and development of plants and have been implicated intensively and extensively in the vegetable production. In recent years, calcium carbide (CaC₂) has proved to be a good source of acetylene (nitrification inhibitor) and ethylene (plant hormone). The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of encapsulated calcium carbide (ECC) on the growth, yield and tuber quality of potato. ECC was applied @ 60 kg/ha for each treatment except control at different growth stages of potato (sprout development, vegetative growth, tuber initiation, tuber bulking) and their combinations. The results of this work revealed significant effects of ECC application on number of days to sprouting, number of leaves and stems, plant height, tuber size, yield, weight loss %, shrivillage % and reducing sugars of potato while sprouting percentage, disease incidence %, specific gravity, TSS, total starch, non-reducing sugars and total sugars could not demonstrate significant effects of ECC application. Moreover, it was concluded that different growth stages responded differently against ECC, however, vegetative growth stage showed remarkable effects on potato growth, yield and tuber quality compared to all other stages and their combinations. The enhanced growth, yield and quality of potato indicated the possible role of acetylene and ethylene at active growth stages.

Department of Horticulture, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi. Pakistan.

^*Corresponding author E-mail: nadeemabbasi65@yahoo.com