| dc.description.abstract | Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food crop worldwide. Growers prefer
potato because of its short growing season and tolerance to poor soils. Growers are
using different agrochemicals so as to improve tuber yield, quality and maturity period
under erratic and unreliable rain patterns. Biozyme® foliar feed is widely used to
hasten maturity and enhance yields of crops. Biozyme® is said to be a storehouse of
hormones and nutrients that improve the health of a crop. It contains major hormones
along with primary and secondary mineral nutrients. This study determined Biozyme®
rate that is lower than the commercially recommended 500 ml/ha to curb overuse and
misuse, but still enhance potato tuber yields under climate change deficit rainfall
adaptation. The study was set up in split plots arranged in a randomized complete block
design, replicated three times and repeated once. Main plots were assigned to two
contrasting potato cultivars (Tigoni and Asante), while subplots were assigned to
Biozyme® rate (0, 125, 250, 500 and 750 ml/ha). Each subplot was planted with 28
seed potato tubers spaced at 30 cm × 70 cm in four rows. A distance of 1 m
separated plots. The 750 ml/ha Biozyme® significantly (P<0.05) increased total potato
tuber yields by 3× to 7×, reduced unmarketable tubers by up to 3×, enhanced
dry matter by 10% and starch by >2× compared to the 0 ml/ha Biozyme®. The 0
ml/ha Biozyme® produced 2-11 t/ha and 7-14 t/ha in "Tigoni' and "Asante', while the
750 ml/ha Biozyme® produced 25-33 t/ha and 39-43 t/ha in "Tigoni' and "Asante',
respectively. The 750 ml/ha Biozyme® also increased leaf tissue N by >1%, P by >100
ppm and K by > 9 ppm in both seasons and cultivars. The difference in performance for
500 and 750 ml/ha Biozyme® was always not significant (P>0.05). Thus, it is not
advisable to foliar-feed potato plants using Biozyme® rates e×ceeding 500 ml/ha
since this will amount to overuse and misuse and e×acerbate tuber perishability.
Slightly lower Biozyme® rates than 500 ml/ha may be recommended to guarantee
production of "hardier" potatoes ideal for safe handling | en_US |
