established in four regions: Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Jaffna and Puttalam. Average yields are ca. 16 T/ha but can reach as high as 40 T/ha. Production.
1985)
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New and Reviews POTATO P R O D U C T I O N IN SRI LANKA K. Sathiamoorthy1, R. Prange 2,3, L. Mapplebeck 2 and T. Haliburton 2
Abstract Potato production in Sri Lanka has been increasing since the importation of tablestock was stopped in 1967. Production is now successfully established in four regions: Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Jaffna and Puttalam. Average yields are ca. 16 T / h a but can reach as high as 40 T/ha. Production still depends on the importation of seed potatoes which are then multiplied under a government program. In order to reduce the cost of seed, which can be up to 50% of the cost of production, a true seed program has been instituted. Weather, poor storage conditions, varying availability of good seed and diseases are the major problems limiting potato production in Sri Lanka. Significant reductions in production and storage problems will be realized with the continued efforts of the Sri Lankan government and international agencies.
History of the Crop The exact period of introduction of this crop to Sri Lanka is not known. As early as 1850, English planters in Nuwara Eliya attempted to grow potatoes in their home gardens. In 1948, the Department of Agriculture began working on potatoes, devoting the first few years to investigating the cultivars suitable for growing, cultural practices, fertilizer applications and control of pests and diseases. The cultivation of potatoes on a large scale was started in 1951/52, but it failed for various reasons. Cultivation was again attempted in 1957 in Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts, but the farmers were not able to get a reasonable income because imported tablestock potatoes were available in the local market at a very low price. When the government stopped the import of tablestock potatoes in 1967 to encourage local production, the farmers once again started to cultivate this crop. This strategy was immediately successful and there was a rapid expansion of the acreage of potatoes. 1Department of Agriculture, Hawa Eliya,Nuwara Eliya,Sri Lanka. 2Department of Plant Science,NovaScotiaAgriculturalCollege,P.O. Box 550, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada B2N 5E3. 3To whom all correspondenceconcerningthe manuscriptshould be sent. KEY WORDS: History,true seed, storage, diseases.
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Major Growing Districts, Seasons and Acreage U n d e r Potatoes The total area under potatoes, in the Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Jaffna and Puttalam districts of Sri Lanka, is nearly 5058 ha. The area and the planting o \ 00c,,~,,,,.~v..~ N,,,Jaf f na
0
2,5
I lPut talam
aduI Ia Nuwara ~ \
FIG. 1. Major potato growingareas in Sri Lanka.
/
.sic) k m
1985)
NEWSAND REVIEWS
557
season in these districts are shown in Table 1. There are indications that the acreage continues to increase and it is projected that it may reach 6000 ha in the near future.
Nuwara Eh'ya--This district has an altitude of 1830-1980 m above sea level with a mean temperature range between 15-20 C and a mean rainfall of 187 mm monthly (2249 mm annually). This climate is ideally suited for seed potato production. The peak periods of planting are during the months of August-September (Yala 1 planting) and February-March (Maha 1 planting). Planting cannot be done in May, June, and July because of the heavy winds and rain. Similarly production in December and January is restricted because of the night frost in these two months. As this is the only place where seed potato production can be undertaken in Sri Lanka, the Department of Agriculture produces seed potatoes on five government farms, on a four-year rotation. In addition to this the Department of Agriculture contracts production of seed potatoes by selected (registered) growers in compliance with the seed certification program. This program is designed to produce seed potatoes to help satisfy the national demand.
Badulla--This district has an altitude of 550-914 m and a mean temperature range between 18-25 C, with a mean monthly rainfall of approximately 144 mm (1729 mm annually). In Badulla there are two planting seasons, one in the uplands in November-December (Maha planting) and the other in June-July (Yala planting) in the paddy fields of the lowlands after the rice harvest. A larger area is planted in the June-July planting. The farmers use only imported seed for the November-December planting and their own seed for the June-July planting, since no seed is imported for this season. Production and lateral spread of privately produced seed plays a key role in the seed supply for the June-July planting season in this district. Jaffaa-Jaffna lies almost at sea level. In view of the climatic conditions (Table 1), only one crop a year is,possible here. Potatoes are planted in November (Maha planting), after the heavy rains in October. Cool night temperatures during December and January help in tuber initiation and tuber formation, resulting in fairly high yields. The Jaffna farmers obtain their seed from the government farms and contract growers in Nuwara Eliya. The Department of Agriculture is expected to supply at least 1780 tonnes of Nuwara Eliya-produced seed annually to the Jaffna farmers. Puttalam--This district also lies at sea level. The climatic conditions are similar to Jaffna (Table 1) but the soil is very sandy. Potatoes have only been cultivated here in the last two years with promising yields being obtained, 1terms associatedwith one or the other of two monsoon seasons.
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