Abstract
Plant distances (The distance between and inside rows of plants) is an important agronomic management tool for potatoes as it determines growth, yield, yield components, and quality of the crop in nature this crop is a high nutrient feeder which may lead to whether to increase or decreases the tuber yields. In certain places, however, the information is limited. So, to shed light on this issue, experiments were carried out to ascertain the ideal plant spacing between and within rows for gudane varieties of potatoes as well as how this affects growth, yield, yield components, and quality. A field experiment was conducted at the Horro district in western Ethiopia during the 2022/2023 cropping season. The experiment consists of four levels of inter-planting spacing (65cm, 70cm, 75cm, and 80cm) and three levels of intra-plant spacing (25cm, 30cm, and 35cm) that were laid out in a randomized complete block design in factorial arrangements with three replications. The result indicated that both the main and interaction effects of inter and intra-plant spacing were highly significantly (p < 0.001) influenced days to 50% flowering, 90% maturity date, plant height, number of stems per hill, and leaf area index (LAI). The study's findings indicate that greater plant distances (80cm × 35cm) was more advantageous for both phonological and growth parameters of potato crops.
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Published in
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Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Volume 14, Issue 1)
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DOI
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10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12
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Page(s)
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23-29 |
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Creative Commons
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Copyright
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group
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Keywords
Growth Parameters, Phonological Parameters, Plant Spacing, Potato
1. Introduction
Potato is one of the world's most important vegetable cash crops grown in highland areas
| [10] | Fikre, D., Gebretensay, F., Wegayehu, G., Tsagaye, D., Ali, A., and Fufa, N. (2021). Effects of Plant Spacing and Time of Harvesting on Yield and Tuber Size Distribution of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Variety Southeast Ethiopia. American Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. 9(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bio.20210901.11 |
[10]
. Nowadays, the major species of potato crop grown worldwide is
Solanum tuberosum. It is the majority of tropical humid areas crops that grown in the dry season through irrigation and the rainy season. Therefore, in terms of human consumption and income generation, it ranked fourth, behind a few cereal crops (rice, wheat, and maize), where a total of 376 million tonnes of potato crops were produced in the world only in 2021
| [6] | Dessa, A., and Wolde, A. (2023). Effect of planting density on growth, light interception and tuber yields of potato varieties (Solanum tuberosum L.) at Guji highland of southeastern Ethiopia. Ethiop. J. Appl. Sci. Technol. 14(2): 16-27. |
[6]
. It plays a great role in improving the food security of smallholder farmers due to it is a major source of inexpensive energy and produces more food per unit of time than major crops
| [2] | Amare, T., Bazie, Z., Alemu, E., Alemayehu, B., Tenagne, A., Kerebh, B., Taye, Y., Awoke, A., Feyisa, T., and Kidanu. S. (2022). The yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) increased by more than two-fold through nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in the highlands of North-Western Ethiopia. Journal homepage, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11111 |
| [8] | Doboch, M., Gedebo, A., Haile, A., and Mohammed. H. (2022). Improving Potato Productivity through Optimum Agronomic Management to Ensure Food Security of Smallholder Farmers. Journal of cogent food and agriculture, 8: 1, 2131995, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2022.2131995 |
| [12] | Gemechu, G. (2021). Effects of spacing on the yield and yield-related parameters of potato (SolanumTuberosum L.) At Bale Highland. J Plant Sci Agri Res, (5), 1: 55. |
[2, 8, 12]
.
Especially, in 2017, it was anticipated that 388,191,000 tons of potatoes were produced annually on 1930,2600 hectares of land worldwide
. However, according to FAOSTAT (2020), Ethiopia's output has climbed from 349,000 tons in 1993 to around 743,153 tons in 2018/2019. However, according to the
| [13] | International Potato Centre (CIP). (2017). Harnessing potato and sweet potato’s power for food security, nutrition and climate resilience international, annual report. International Potato Centre. |
[13]
, in 2017 the average yield of potatoes in Africa was 6 to 12 tons ha
−1 (as opposed to 35 to 45 tons ha
−1 in Europe and North America). Again, in Ethiopia, the yield is 7.97 tons ha
−1 | [4] | CSA (2016). Agricultural Sample Survey Volume I Report on Area and Production of Major Crops Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. |
| [5] | CSA (2021). The Federal Democratic Republic Of Ethiopia Report on Area and Production of Major Crops. |
[4, 5]
, which is significantly less than the crop's potential
| [13] | International Potato Centre (CIP). (2017). Harnessing potato and sweet potato’s power for food security, nutrition and climate resilience international, annual report. International Potato Centre. |
[13]
.
Generally, Ethiopia has considerable potential for potato production and productivity since around 70% of arable land is suitable for its production, productivity, and cultivation, mainly in highland areas
| [2] | Amare, T., Bazie, Z., Alemu, E., Alemayehu, B., Tenagne, A., Kerebh, B., Taye, Y., Awoke, A., Feyisa, T., and Kidanu. S. (2022). The yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) increased by more than two-fold through nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in the highlands of North-Western Ethiopia. Journal homepage, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11111 |
| [9] | FAOSTAT, “FAO statistical databases FAOSTAT,” 2019, https://faostat3.fao.org |
[2, 9]
. Even though, the country is endowed with suitable climatic and edaphic conditions the annual production of potatoes in Ethiopia is low. This is mainly, due to different problems, among these factors, inappropriate agronomic practices, including improper uses of plant spacing both inter and intra-row plant spacing, are the major constraints of potato production in Ethiopia
| [3] | Bikila, A., Derbew, B. and Adugna, D. (2014). Effects of inter and intra row spacing on potato (solanum tuberosum L.) seed and ware tuber seedling emergence and establishment at Bako, western Ethiopia. Journal of Agronomy. vol. 13 (3), pp, 127-130. |
[3]
. However, because there is a greater chance to control the plant population in order to target the marketable tuber size, appropriate application of agronomic measures, such as both the distance between row and within plant spacing, is crucial.
| [20] | Regasa, M., Garedew, W., and Olika, A. (2022). Effect of tuber size and intra-row spacing on yield and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum. L) varieties. Hindawi Advances in Agriculture Volume 2022, Article ID 5619201, 13 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5619201 |
[20]
.
Likewise, in the Horro district, there is a land that is more favorable and good ecology that is not less productive than the central highlands of Ethiopia, which produce high yields. Conversely, most Horro district farmers who grow the crop use inappropriate plant spacing without row planting, as some rural smallholder farmers react to this idea, but some of them use the recommended national level of space (75 cm X 30 cm) for all varieties, ware, and seed production purposes. Plant distances, however, ought to be determined by the variety, soil quality, growth patterns, etc. In addition, different varieties of potatoes have different growth patterns and other qualitative characteristics. Therefore, the best tuber development, yield, and quality features might not result from employing the same spaces for all types.
Therefore, to alleviate these gaps in potato production and productivity, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of inter and intra-row plant spacing on the phonological and growth parameters of potatoes in the Western Ethiopia Horro district.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Description of the Study Area
The field experiment was conducted at Wallaga University, Shambu campus research site, Shambu district of Horro Guduru Wallaga Zone in the 2022/2023 cropping season. The district is located 330 Km away from Finfinnee. Geographically, the experimental site is situated at 9° 34' 0'' north latitude and 37° 6' 0'' east longitude, with an average elevation of 2600 m.a.s.l. The site generally receives an average annual rainfall of 1700–2000 mm, and the main rainy season is from June to October, with an average minimum and maximum temperature of 10 and 24° C, respectively. The soil type of study area is Nitisols and the pH of the soil is 4.8
| [18] | Negasa, D., Nayagam, G., Bacha, N. and Jaleta, Z. (2021). Estimation of general and specific combining ability effect for yield and quality characters in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. L.). Afri. J. of Agric. Res, 17(2), 321-328. |
| [23] | Wagari, A., Gobena, A. and Jalata, Z. (2022). Vermicompost and blended NPS fertilizers affect soil physicochemical properties and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber yield. Asian J. Applied Sci., 15: 6-15. |
[18, 23]
.
2.2. Description of the Experimental Materials
The experiment was conducted using an improved potato variety called ‘Gudane’, which was released by the Holeta Agricultural Research Centre (HARC) in 2006
| [17] | MoARD. (2009). Crop Variety Register Book, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. |
[17]
. This variety was selected based on the farmer's preference because of its wider adaptation, good taste quality, moderate size, and moderate resistance to late blight in the highlands of the study area compared to other varieties as a test crop
| [23] | Wagari, A., Gobena, A. and Jalata, Z. (2022). Vermicompost and blended NPS fertilizers affect soil physicochemical properties and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber yield. Asian J. Applied Sci., 15: 6-15. |
[23]
. Agronomic and morphological characteristics of the variety are shown below in
Table 1.
Table 1. Description of the experimental material (Gudane).
Description | Agronomic Characteristics |
Crop name | Potato |
Crop variety | Gudane |
Year of Release | 2006 |
Altitude (meters above sea level) | 1600 - 2800 |
Rainfall amount (mm) | 750 - 1000 |
Days to maturity (days) | 90 - 120 |
Yield farmers field (t ha-1) | 21 |
Yield research field (t ha-1) | 29 |
Late blight disease resistance | Moderately Resistance to Late Blight |
Breeding center | HARC |
Source: MoARD (2009).
2.3. Experimental Design
The experimental setup consists of four levels of inter-row plant spacing (65, 70, 75, and 80 cm) and three levels of intra-row plant spacing (25, 30, and 35 cm) combined in a factorial arrangement and laid out in randomized complete block design and replicated three times. Thus, there were 4×3=12 treatment combinations, which accounted for a total of 36 experimental plots. Each treatment was assigned to experimental plots within each block randomly. The adjustment spacing between plots was 0.5m and the spacing between adjustment blocks was 1m. The area of the plot was 7.8 m2 for 65 cm, 8.4 m2 for 70 cm, 9 m2 for 75 cm, and 9.6 m2 for 80 cm, with different numbers of tubers per row, which include 12, 10, and 8 tuber plants for 25, 30, and 35 cm intra-row spacing, respectively.
The total area of the experiment was obtained from the largest plot size, which contained 3.2 x 3 m, which was 481.6 m2 for the experimental site, accommodating a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 48 harvestable plants with different intra- and inter-row spacing. The data was extracted from the inner two rows. Yet the two outermost rows were regarded as guards.
2.4. Experimental Procedures and Field Management
Experimental fields were cultivated by oxen three times, following the standard practice locally used. The land was leveled, and the ridges were made manually. Tubers with a medium size (39–75 g) and well-developed sprouts of variety were also planted at 15 cm depth. All treatments were fertilized at a recommended rate of 236 kg NPS ha
-1 and 194 kg Urea ha
-1. The entire rate of NPS and the half rate of Urea fertilizer were applied at the time of planting, while the remaining half of the Urea was applied during the second earthling-up (41 days after planting) as side dressing. Earthling-up was done two times before flowering. Cultivation, ridging, weeding, earthing up, and harvesting were carried out at the appropriate time as per the research recommendation required for potato production
| [14] | Lung’aho, C. B., Lemaga, M., Nyongesa, P., Gildermacher, P., Kinyale, P., Demo, and J. Kabira. (2007). Commercial seed potato production in eastern and central Africa. Kenya Agricultural Institute, 140p. |
| [15] | Mahmood, M. M., A. Hussain and K. Farooq. (2001). “Aallo Ki Kasht” 9 p. National Potato Programme, NARC. 59p. |
[14, 15]
.
Table 2. The experimental layout or details of the treatment combination.
Treatments | Inter-row and Intra spacing (cm) | Number of tubers per plot planted |
T1 | 65× 25 | 48 |
T2 | 65× 30 | 40 |
T3 | 65× 35 | 32 |
T4 | 70× 25 | 48 |
T5 | 70× 30 | 40 |
T6 | 70× 35 | 32 |
T7 | 75× 25 | 48 |
T8 | 75× 30 (recommended) | 40 |
T9 | 75× 35 | 32 |
T10 | 80× 25 | 48 |
T11 | 80× 30 | 40 |
T12 | 80× 35 | 32 |
2.5. Data Collected
Five plants were randomly selected and tagged from the central two rows for all treatments before flowering to record quantitative data measurements such as crop phonology and growth parameters and the details of collected data were described below.
2.5.1. Phonological Parameters
Number of days to 50% of plant emergence: The number of days elapsed between the dates of planting and the date of 50% emergence on a net plot is expressed as the average number of days to emergence.
Number of days to 50% plant flowering: was determined by counting the number of days elapsed from days to planting to the time when 50% of the plants in each plot started to flower through visual observation, and the mean count of days was used for further analysis.
Number of days to 90% maturity: was determined by counting the number of days elapsed from days to planting to the days when more than 90% of the plants in a plot attained physiological maturity, i.e., when 90% of the haulm of the plants dried and the plants showed senescence of haulms.
2.5.2. Growth Parameters
Number of main stems per hill: collected from five randomly selected hills was counted 45 days after planting, and the mean values were computed and used for further analysis. Only stems arising from the mother tuber were considered main stems.
Plant height: The plant heights of five randomly selected plants from the net plot area at physiological maturity were measured from the ground level to the tip of the main stem at full flowering using rulers, and the mean values were used for further analysis.
Leaf area: recorded from five randomly selected plants in each plot, and the areas of the sample leaves were taken from the middle, as the width and length portions of the plant were measured using a meter. Leaf area is calculated as W x L x 0.674, where 0.674 is the correction factor
| [7] | Djilani, G. A., and Senoussi, M. (2013). Influence of organic manure on the vegetative growth and tuber production of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. var spunta) in a Sahara desert region, Algeria. Int. J. of Agri and Cr. Sci, 5(22): 2724-2731. |
[7]
.
Where LA = leaf area, W = width, and L = length of leaf.
2.6. Data Analysis
All collected data were checked for normality and subject to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the GenStat 15th edition computer software. The detection of differences among treatment means for significance was performed using LSD (Least Significant Tests at a 5% probability level).
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Effects of Inter and Intra-row Plant Distances on Phonological Parameters of Potato
The main effects of the inter-row and intra-row plant spacing, as well as their interaction, were found to be highly significant (P< 0.001) effects on all phonological and growth parameters, including the number of days to 50% plant flowering, number of days to 90% plant physiological maturity, leaf area, plant height whereas the number of days to 50% plant emergence, and number of main stems per plant are non-significance, that discussed as follows:
3.1.1. Number of Days to 50% Plant Flowering
The main effects of inter-row and intra-plant spacing as well as their interaction were highly significantly (
P<0.001) influenced the number of days to 50% flowering of potatoes, (
Table 3). The earliest number of days to 50% flowering (59 days) of potato was obtained from the closest plant spacing (65*25 cm). While the highest number of days to 50% flowering (69 days) of potatoes was obtained from the widest plant spacing (80*35 cm), which extended days until 50% of the flowers bloom by ten (10) days, almost about two weeks (
Table 3). The results of this study are in agreement with the findings of
| [1] | Abera, T., Biranu, T. and Eshetu, G. (2017). Consequence of Inter and Intra-Row Spacing on Growth and Yield Components of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) under Irrigation at North Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, (7), (2224-3208). |
| [21] | Shiri-e, M., Tobeh, A., Abbasi, A., Jamaati-e-Somarin, S., and Hokmalipour, S. (2009). Vegetative growth of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars, under the effects of different levels of nitrogen fertilizer. Res. J. of Bio. Sci, 4(7), 807-814. |
[1, 21]
, who reported that the days until 50% plant flowering were prolonged for plants grown with wider plant spacing. This may be due to the prolonged time to flowering due to the widest plant spacing having sufficient nutrients available and could be attributed to the enhancement of vegetative growth and the storage of sufficient reserved food materials for the differentiation of buds into flower buds.
In contrast, closer plant spacing stresses the plants and eventually causes them to flower sooner rather than grow vegetatively for a longer period of time. This might be because plants compete more fiercely for resources with comparable maturity levels.
Table 3. Phonological and growth parameters of potatoes as influenced by the interaction of inter-row and intra-plant spacing.
Treatments | Phonological and growth parameters of potato |
Inter-row (cm) | Intra-row (cm) | PF | PM | LA | PH |
65 | 25 | 59.00g | 95.00h | 27.51h | 54.87f |
65 | 30 | 60.67fg | 96.67g | 29.20g | 56.87ef |
65 | 35 | 61.00ef | 97.00fg | 29.58fg | 58.33ef |
70 | 25 | 61.00ef | 97.00fg | 30.39efg | 60.53e |
70 | 30 | 62.00def | 98.00efg | 30.96ef | 65.40d |
70 | 35 | 62.67de | 98.67de | 31.22ef | 68.53cd |
75 | 25 | 62.33def | 98.33def | 31.59de | 69.03cd |
75 | 30 | 63.67cd | 99.67d | 31.98cde | 70.00c |
75 | 35 | 65.33bc | 101.33c | 33.14cd | 70.60c |
80 | 25 | 61.33ef | 98.33def | 33.53c | 68.00cd |
80 | 30 | 67.00b | 103.00b | 36.16b | 75.53b |
80 | 35 | 69.00a | 105.00a | 40.31a | 84.07a |
LSD (0.05) | 1.67 | 1.39 | 1.67 | 3.95 |
CV (%) | 1.60 | 0.80 | 3.10 | 3.50 |
This means sharing the same letter is not significantly different at (p<0.05), CV= Coefficient of Variance, LSD= Least significant difference, PF= number of days to 50% plant flowering, PM= number of days to 90% plant physiological maturity, LA= plant leaf area, PH= plant height.
3.1.2. Number of Days to 90% Physiological Maturity
The result of this study revealed that the main effects of inter-row and intra-plant spacing as well as the interaction have a significant (
P<0.05) effect on the number of days required to reach physiological maturity (
Table 3). The earliest number of days to 90% physiological maturity (95 days) was recorded from the closest plant spacing (65*25 cm), while the prolonged number of days to 90% physiological maturity (105 days) was observed from the widest plant spacing (80*35 cm), and they were delayed by about 10 days in the wider spacing. This indicates that the plant that grows at the closest spacing has reached tuber initiation, and the crop starts to mature earlier. This may be due to the low availability of nutrients and light interception, so there is high competition among plants for survival, and the plant could be easily early matured as compared with the widest spacing. In addition, during increased plant spacing, the plant can get sufficient nutrients from the soil and absorb solar radiation intercepts, which stimulates vegetative growth, prolongs the growing period, and delays tuber formation (crop maturity). In line with
| [1] | Abera, T., Biranu, T. and Eshetu, G. (2017). Consequence of Inter and Intra-Row Spacing on Growth and Yield Components of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) under Irrigation at North Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, (7), (2224-3208). |
| [16] | Mengistu, T. and Yamoah, C. (2010). Effect of sowing date and planting density on seed production of Carrot (Daucus carota var. sativa) in Ethiopia. Afr. J. plant sci., 4; 270-279. |
[1, 16]
; - reported that a crop with closer plant spacing will mature earlier in the season than a crop with the widest plant spacing because early tuber growth is related to fast haulm growth and early maturity due to high competition for food in the closest spacing than in the wider one. Even while late growth is linked to longer haulm development, this could be because there are more nutrients available in a larger plant distances and the number of days needed for potato flowering and maturity is much later.
Similarly, other researchers also confirmed that increased plant spacing can lead to delays in days to physiological maturity that are similar to days to flowering, due to enough availability of nutrients that led to an increase in the leaf area of the crop, which increases the amount of solar radiation intercepted and enhances vegetative growth. While high planting density stimulates early maturity in potatoes
| [22] | Vander Zaag, P., Demagante, A. L., and Ewing, E. E. (1990). Influence of plant spacing on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Morphology, growth and yield under two contrasting environments. Potato Res, 33(3): 313-323. |
[22]
.
3.2. Effects of inter and Intra-row Plant Distances on Growth Parameters of Potato
3.2.1. Leaf Area Per Plant
The main and interaction effects of inter-row and intra-plant spacing are highly significant (
P<0.001) affected leaf areas per plant of potato (
Table 3). The highest leaf area per plant (40.31 cm
2) was obtained from the wider distance between row and within-plant distances of 80*35 cm, while the lowest leaf area per plant (27.51 cm
2) was recorded from the closer inter-row and intra-plant spacing of 65*25 cm. These results indicated that, at the wider inter-row and intra-plant spacing, due to the presence of minimum competition, plants absorbed the sufficiently available resources, increased the amount of solar radiation intercepted, and increased their photosynthetic efficiency, which further increased the vegetative growth and ultimately resulted in an increased leaf area per plant. Whereas, there is limited resource availability for each plant as plant density increases, which limits the amount of assimilate available for leaf development. Similarly,
| [1] | Abera, T., Biranu, T. and Eshetu, G. (2017). Consequence of Inter and Intra-Row Spacing on Growth and Yield Components of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) under Irrigation at North Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, (7), (2224-3208). |
| [19] | Oliveira, C. (2000). Potato crop growth as affected by nitrogen and plant density. Journal Pesq. Agropec. Bras, 35(5), 939–950. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2000000500011 |
[1, 19]
, verified that a closer within plant distances results in a smaller leaf area than a wider within plant distances, which produces a larger leaf area.
3.2.2. Plant Height
The mean plant height of potatoes was highly significantly (
P<0.001) affected by the main as well as interaction effects of inter-row and intra-plant spacing (
Table 3). The highest plant height (84.07 cm) of potato was recorded from the wider inter-row and intra-spacing with 80*35 cm. The lowest plant height (54.87 cm) of potatoes was recorded from the closest plant spacing (65*25 cm) of the treatment combination. This indicates that the increase in plant height may be due to better availability of nutrients in the wider plant spacing than the closest one, which enhances vegetative growth by increasing cell division and elongation with good strength and uniform growth. Whereas, in the closer plant spacing, due to high competition between and within the plant for resources, the plant growth was weak in strength and not uniform in height. So, the highest plant height was obtained with a wider spacing than with a closer spacing. This is in agreement with
| [1] | Abera, T., Biranu, T. and Eshetu, G. (2017). Consequence of Inter and Intra-Row Spacing on Growth and Yield Components of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) under Irrigation at North Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, (7), (2224-3208). |
| [24] | Zamil, M. F., Rahman, M. M., Robbani, M. G., and Khatun, T. K. (2010). The combined effect of nitrogen and plant spacing on the growth and yield of potatoes with economic Performance. Bangladesh Res Publication J 3: 1062. |
[1, 24]
, who reported that wider plant spacing enhances growth and plant height. On the contrary
| [25] | Zubarth, B. J., Arsenault, W. J., and Sanderson, J. B. (2006). Effect of seed piece spacing and Nitrogen use efficiency parameters of two potato cultivars. Am. J. potato Res. 83(4): 289-296. |
[25]
, concluded that closer inter-row and intra-plant spacing (higher plant density) resulted in the highest plant height.
In general, at closer plant spacing, due to a shortage of nutrient resources that restricts the growth of all plant organs, including roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, and stunted plant growth leads to low plant height. Likewise,
| [11] | Gebre, E. and Giorgis, G. W. (2001). Effects of spatial arrangement on tuber yields of some potato cultivars. Afri. Crop Sci. J., 9: 67-76. |
[11]
, reported the significant effects of spacing on plant height as a result of the availability of wider inter-row spacing for growth factors and that all the essential nutrients are available at the seedling stage, increasing measured variables like plant height as compared to the closer one.
4. Conclusions and Recommendations
In conclusion, the Gudane cultivar was highly grown in the Horo district which was preferred by farmers. Thus, the results of phonological and growth parameters of potato crops were influenced by the interaction effect of both inter and intra-row plant spacing. This means that good agronomic management including optimum plant spacing is a desirable factor for both phonological and vegetative growth.
The earliest number of days to 50% flowering (59 days) and days to 90% plant maturity (95 days) of potato was obtained from the closest plant spacing (65*25 cm). While the highest number of days to 50% flowering (69 days) and days to 90% plant maturity (105 days) of potato was obtained from the widest plant spacing (80*35 cm). This is the reverse for both leaf area and plant height parameters results.
This may be due to the prolonged time days to flowering and maturity was, due to the widest plant spacing having sufficient nutrients available and could be attributed to the enhancement of vegetative growth and the storage of sufficient reserved food materials for the differentiation of buds into flower buds and tuber.
In general, potato seedling requires wider plant spacing for better phonological and growth variables. However, indefinite increases in plant spacing between the plants as well as between the rows do not result in further change in this variable rather than prolonging the days to flowering and days to plant maturity. Therefore, for better phonological and growth parameters of potato crops for both seed and ware production according to this research an inter-row plant spacing of 75-80 cm and intra-row spacing of 35 cm can be considered as the best combination.
Abbreviations
HARC | Holeta Agricultural Research Center |
BARC | Bako Agricultural Research Center |
Acknowledgments
We are very pleased to thank Wallaga University, Shambu Campus for financial support, and experimental site where this research was done, and Bako Agricultural Research Center for materials and human power (labor) support.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
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Abera, T., Biranu, T. and Eshetu, G. (2017). Consequence of Inter and Intra-Row Spacing on Growth and Yield Components of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) under Irrigation at North Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, (7), (2224-3208).
|
| [2] |
Amare, T., Bazie, Z., Alemu, E., Alemayehu, B., Tenagne, A., Kerebh, B., Taye, Y., Awoke, A., Feyisa, T., and Kidanu. S. (2022). The yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) increased by more than two-fold through nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in the highlands of North-Western Ethiopia. Journal homepage,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11111
|
| [3] |
Bikila, A., Derbew, B. and Adugna, D. (2014). Effects of inter and intra row spacing on potato (solanum tuberosum L.) seed and ware tuber seedling emergence and establishment at Bako, western Ethiopia. Journal of Agronomy. vol. 13 (3), pp, 127-130.
|
| [4] |
CSA (2016). Agricultural Sample Survey Volume I Report on Area and Production of Major Crops Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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| [5] |
CSA (2021). The Federal Democratic Republic Of Ethiopia Report on Area and Production of Major Crops.
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| [6] |
Dessa, A., and Wolde, A. (2023). Effect of planting density on growth, light interception and tuber yields of potato varieties (Solanum tuberosum L.) at Guji highland of southeastern Ethiopia. Ethiop. J. Appl. Sci. Technol. 14(2): 16-27.
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| [7] |
Djilani, G. A., and Senoussi, M. (2013). Influence of organic manure on the vegetative growth and tuber production of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. var spunta) in a Sahara desert region, Algeria. Int. J. of Agri and Cr. Sci, 5(22): 2724-2731.
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Olani, D., Chewaka, M., Daba, A. (2025). Effect of Inter-Row and Intra-Row Plant Spacing on Phonological and Growth Parameters of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) in Western Ethiopia Horo District. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 14(1), 23-29. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12
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Olani, D.; Chewaka, M.; Daba, A. Effect of Inter-Row and Intra-Row Plant Spacing on Phonological and Growth Parameters of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) in Western Ethiopia Horo District. Agric. For. Fish. 2025, 14(1), 23-29. doi: 10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12
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Olani D, Chewaka M, Daba A. Effect of Inter-Row and Intra-Row Plant Spacing on Phonological and Growth Parameters of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) in Western Ethiopia Horo District. Agric For Fish. 2025;14(1):23-29. doi: 10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12
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@article{10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12,
author = {Dugasa Olani and Mosisa Chewaka and Abera Daba},
title = {Effect of Inter-Row and Intra-Row Plant Spacing on Phonological and Growth Parameters of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) in Western Ethiopia Horo District
},
journal = {Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries},
volume = {14},
number = {1},
pages = {23-29},
doi = {10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aff.20251401.12},
abstract = {Plant distances (The distance between and inside rows of plants) is an important agronomic management tool for potatoes as it determines growth, yield, yield components, and quality of the crop in nature this crop is a high nutrient feeder which may lead to whether to increase or decreases the tuber yields. In certain places, however, the information is limited. So, to shed light on this issue, experiments were carried out to ascertain the ideal plant spacing between and within rows for gudane varieties of potatoes as well as how this affects growth, yield, yield components, and quality. A field experiment was conducted at the Horro district in western Ethiopia during the 2022/2023 cropping season. The experiment consists of four levels of inter-planting spacing (65cm, 70cm, 75cm, and 80cm) and three levels of intra-plant spacing (25cm, 30cm, and 35cm) that were laid out in a randomized complete block design in factorial arrangements with three replications. The result indicated that both the main and interaction effects of inter and intra-plant spacing were highly significantly (p < 0.001) influenced days to 50% flowering, 90% maturity date, plant height, number of stems per hill, and leaf area index (LAI). The study's findings indicate that greater plant distances (80cm × 35cm) was more advantageous for both phonological and growth parameters of potato crops.
},
year = {2025}
}
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of Inter-Row and Intra-Row Plant Spacing on Phonological and Growth Parameters of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) in Western Ethiopia Horo District
AU - Dugasa Olani
AU - Mosisa Chewaka
AU - Abera Daba
Y1 - 2025/03/13
PY - 2025
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12
DO - 10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12
T2 - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
JF - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
JO - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
SP - 23
EP - 29
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2328-5648
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20251401.12
AB - Plant distances (The distance between and inside rows of plants) is an important agronomic management tool for potatoes as it determines growth, yield, yield components, and quality of the crop in nature this crop is a high nutrient feeder which may lead to whether to increase or decreases the tuber yields. In certain places, however, the information is limited. So, to shed light on this issue, experiments were carried out to ascertain the ideal plant spacing between and within rows for gudane varieties of potatoes as well as how this affects growth, yield, yield components, and quality. A field experiment was conducted at the Horro district in western Ethiopia during the 2022/2023 cropping season. The experiment consists of four levels of inter-planting spacing (65cm, 70cm, 75cm, and 80cm) and three levels of intra-plant spacing (25cm, 30cm, and 35cm) that were laid out in a randomized complete block design in factorial arrangements with three replications. The result indicated that both the main and interaction effects of inter and intra-plant spacing were highly significantly (p < 0.001) influenced days to 50% flowering, 90% maturity date, plant height, number of stems per hill, and leaf area index (LAI). The study's findings indicate that greater plant distances (80cm × 35cm) was more advantageous for both phonological and growth parameters of potato crops.
VL - 14
IS - 1
ER -
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