INFLUENCE OF TREATMENT OF SEED POTATO TUBERS WITH PLANT CRUDE ESSENTIAL OIL EXTRACTS ON PERFORMANCE OF THE CROP

Abstract

Farmers in most developing countries store seed potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers in traditional storage that invariably leads to rapid deterioration in the quality of the seed tubers due to sprouting and aging. Thus, potato seed tubers senesce and are past their prime when planted. A pot experiment was conducted at Sirinka Agricultural Research Centre, in north-eastern Ethiopia, to evaluate the effect of treating seed potato tubers with crude plant essential oil extracts, on the growth and yield of the potato crop. Treatments consisted of seed potato tubers treated with dill weed, spearmint, black cumin and eucalyptus crude essential oil extracts, each applied at 45, 90 and 135 mg kg-1 of potato tubers for one month, plus a control treatment. The control consisted of untreated tubers. Results revealed that potato plants grown from seed tubers treated with oil extracts from dill weed, spearmint, and eucalyptus at 135 mg kg-1, took the longest time to sprout, flower, and tubers to mature. Potato plants grown from seed tubers treated with dill weed, spearmint, black cumin and eucalyptus crude essential oil extracts at 135 mg kg-1 were 23 - 38% taller than plants from the untreated seed tubers. Similarly, potatoes from these treatments had 21 - 89% more numbers of leaves compared to plants from the untreated seed tubers. Crude essential oils from dill weed at the concentrations of 90 and 135 mg kg-1 and eucalyptus at 135 mg kg-1, had the greatest positive effects on growth and yield of the potato crop.Dans plusieurs pays en d\ue9veloppement, les paysans conservent les tubercules de pomme de terre ( Solanum tuberosum L.) en stockage traditionnel, ce qui est responsable de la d\ue9t\ue9rioration rapide de la qualit\ue9 des semences due au vieillissement et au bourgeonnement des tubercules. Alors, les tubercules de pomme de terre vieillissent et perdent leur fra\ueecheur avant d\u2019\ueatre plant\ue9. Une exp\ue9rimentation en pots a \ue9t\ue9 conduite au Centre de Recherche Agricole de Sirinka au North-Est de l\u2019Ethiopie pour \ue9valuer l\u2019effet du traitement des tubercules de pomme de terre avec des huiles essentiels sur la croissance et le rendement la culture subs\ue9quente. Les traitements consistaient en l\u2019utilisation des huiles essentielles de la fenouille, la menthe verte, du cumin noir et de l\u2019eucalyptus \ue0 diff\ue9rente concentrations (45, 90 et 135 mg kg-1) pour traiter les tubercules de pomme de terre pendant un mois, et un traitement t\ue9moin (tubercules non trait\ue9s). Les r\ue9sultats ont montr\ue9 que les plants de pomme de terre trait\ue9s \ue0 l\u2019huile essentielle de fenouille, menthe verte, et eucalyptus \ue0 135 mg kg-1 ont le plus retard\ue9 le bourgeonnement, la floraison, et la maturation des tubercules. Les plants de pomme de terre cultiv\ue9s apr\ue8s traitement \ue0 l\u2019huile essentielle de fenouille, menthe verte, cumin noir et eucalyptus \ue0 135 mg kg-1 \ue9taient 23 \ue0 38% plus grands que les plants provenant de tubercules non trait\ue9es. De la m\ueame fa\ue7on, les plants trait\ue9s avaient 21 \ue0 89% plus de feuilles que les plants non trait\ue9s. Les huiles essentielles de fenouille \ue0 90 et 135 mg kg-1 et de l\u2019eucalyptus \ue0 135 mg kg-1 ont entrain\ue9 une croissance plus accrue et un rendement plus \ue9lev\ue9 de la culture subs\ue9quente de pomme de terre