The Effect of Mulching on the Quality of Early Potatoes

Abstract

Istraživanje je sprovedeno kako bi se utvrdio uticaj nastiranja na kvalitet mladog krompira. Ogled je postavljen u tri vegetacione sezone na jednom lokalitetu po split-plot sistemu u pet ponavljanja. Uticaj nastiranja ispitivan je na dve sorte – Riviera i Cleopatra. Sadnja je obavljena mašinski, jedna krtola po kućici, na međuredni razmak od 65 cm, i razmak u redu od 30 cm. Analizirane su sledeće osobine: sadržaj suve materije (%), sadržaj skroba (%), ukupan sadržaj šećera (%), sadržaj proteina (%) i sadržaj lipida (%). Ananliza varijanse urađena je po split plot sistemu, a poređenje srednjih vrednosti urađeno je primenom LSD testa. Visoko značajan efekat primenjenog tretmana (nastiranja) ustanovljen je za sadržaj suve materije, sadržaj skroba i ukupan sadržaj šećera, dok primenjen tretman nije imao značajan uticaj na sadržaj proteina i lipida u krtoli. Sadržaj suve materije u krtoli, kao i sadržaj skroba i ukupnih šećera visoko značajno je povećan usled primene nastiranja, kod obe proučavane sorte. Poređenjem tretmana po sortama visoko značajna razlika između srednjih vrednosti sadržaja skroba i ukupnih šećera ustanovljena je samo za sortu Riviera, dok kod sadržaja suve materije u krtoli nije ustanovljena značajnost. Pri primeni nastiranja zabeležen je viši sadržaj proteina, odnosno niži sadržaj lipida u krtoli, ali nije zabeležena značajnost razlike srednjih vrednosti. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata može se zaključiti da nastiranje ima pozitivan efekat na kvalitet krompira što pruža mogućnost za širu primenu ove specifične agrotehničke mere u proizvodnji mladog krompira.This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of mulching on the quality of early potatoes. The experiment was carried out over three consecutive growing seasons at a single location, using a split-plot design with five replications. The effect of mulching was examined on two cultivars, Riviera and Cleopatra. Planting was performed mechanically, with one tuber per hill, at an inter-row spacing of 65 cm and an intra-row spacing of 30 cm. The following quality traits were analysed: dry matter content (%), starch content (%), total sugar content (%), protein content (%), and lipid content (%). Analysis of variance was performed according to the split-plot design, and mean comparisons were conducted using the LSD test. Mulching had a highly significant effect on dry matter, starch, and total sugar contents, whereas no significant effect was observed for protein and lipid contents. The application of mulching significantly increased dry matter, starch, and total sugars in both cultivars. A highly significant difference in starch and total sugar contents between treatments was observed only for the cultivar Riviera, while no significant difference was detected for dry matter content. Under mulching, higher protein content and lower lipid content were recorded, although without statistical significance. The findings indicate that mulching exerts a positive effect on potato quality, supporting its broader application as a specific agrotechnical practice in early potato production