Effect of floral decapitation on the yield of three varieties of native potatoes (Saq'ampaya, Qhati señorita and Imilla Negra) in the bolivian Northern Highland

Freddy Andrés Bautista Condori; Víctor Freddy Mita Quisbert; Félix Mamani Reynoso

Abstract

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) in Bolivia has been domesticated in wild forms, cultivated for thousands of years in Andean ancestral cultures in different microclimates of the Andes. The floral decapitation avoids the use of photo-rosettes for the formation of seed for the production of tubers, this can have a positive effect on the yields, reason for which the objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of the floral decapitation on the yield of three varieties of native potatoes (Saq'ampaya, Qhati Señorita and Imilla Negra). The study was developed in the production areas of the Tiahuanacu Rural Academic Unit, Ingavi province of La Paz city, the evaluated variables were percentage of emergence, number of stems per plant, height of plant, leaf coverage, percentage of flowering, days to physiological maturity, green and dry matter, number of tubers per plant, weight of tubers per plant (kg), classification of tubers, yield (t ha^-1) and incidence of pests. The emergency was 50% at 75 DDS, at 89 DDS there was a higher percentage of emergence, the Imilla Negra variety stood out with 96% and Saq'ampaya with 84%, no significant differences were found for the number of stems per plant , height of plant, foliar cover, number, weight and classification of the tubers, yield and its relation with the varieties and the floral decapitation, for the other variables significant statistical differences were found, concluding that there is no effect of the floral decapitation in the yield on the three native potato varieties evaluated.