EVALUATION OF POTATO VARIETIES FOR RESISTANCE TO MAJOR INSECT PESTS IN WEST GODAVARI, ANDHRA PRADESH (RABI 2018)

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2018 at the College ofHorticulture, Venkataramannagudem, to evaluate the response of eight potato (Solanum tuberosumL.) varieties—Kufri Surya, Kufri Badshah, Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Chipsona-3, Kufri Jyoti, KufriPukhraj, Kufri Khyathi and Kufri Himalini (sourced from CPCRI, Jalandhar)–to major insect pests.The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Theoccurrence of sucking pests, namely whitefly and leafhopper, was first observed during the 41stStandard Meteorological Week (SMW), whereas foliage-feeding pests such as tobacco caterpillar andgram pod borer appeared during the 42nd SMW. Pest population gradually increased and crossedthe Economic Threshold Level (ETL) during the first and second weeks of November in mostvarieties; however, in Kufri Badshah and Kufri Surya, ETL was reached during the fourth weekof November. Peak pest incidence was recorded during the third and fourth weeks of December.Among the varieties, Kufri Khyathi was highly susceptible, recording the highest populations ofwhitefly (21.44 no./plant), leafhopper (21.97 no./plant), epilachna beetle (20.38 no./plant) and tobaccocaterpillar (21.53 no./plant). In contrast, Kufri Badshah exhibited the lowest pest infestation withwhitefly (5.36 no./plant), leafhopper (3.27 no./plant), epilachna beetle (4.66 no./plant) and tobaccocaterpillar (5.80 no./plant), indicating tolerance to major insect pests. Yield performance revealedthat Kufri Badshah ranked second, next to Kufri Surya. Based on pest incidence and yield, KufriBadshah was found to be suitable for cultivation under the prevailing agro-climatic conditions.