Enhancement of growth, yield and quality of potato through application of biofertilizers

Potato is one of the world’s leading food crops and plays a significant role in global food security. To reduce the adverse effects associated with excessive use of chemical fertilizers, biofertilizers have emerged as a sustainable alternative. The study evaluated the effects of different biofertilizers on growth, yield and tuber quality of potato during rabi season (2023-2024) under field conditions in Uttarakhand, India. The experiment was done in a Randomized Block Design, consisting of three replications and eight treatments. The treatments included individual and combined applications of Rhizobium mililoti, Azotobacter chroococcum and Bacillus subtilis, along with an untreated control. The results showed significant differences among treatments for growth, yield and quality parameters. The combined application of Rhizobium mililoti (200 g/10 kg seed) and Azotobacter chroococcum (200 g/10 kg seed) resulted in the highest plant height (15.66 cm), chlorophyll content (25.50 µmol m-1), number of leaves (36.86 plant-1) and total yield (490.21 g plant-1). The tuber quality-related characteristics such as dry matter (17.00 %), swelling power (1.26 g/g), specific gravity (1.07 g/cm3) and starch solubility (2.54 %) were also attained maximum with treatment T3. These highlight the superiority of the combined Rhizobium and Azotobacter treatment over the other treatments. It can be concluded that seed tuber inoculation with Rhizobium and Azotobacter significantly enhances potato growth, yield and tuber quality under the studied conditions.