Effect of water deficit on vegetative development, production and physiological disorders on Agata potato tubers

Abstract

The occurrence of water deficiency is a factor that causes significant losses of productivity in agriculture. In potato cropo in addition to reduction of production can cause damage due to physiological disorders in the tubers. The main of this work was to evaluate the effect of the water deficiency occurrence through the optimum depth of water depletion in the soil, on vegetative growth characteristics and production of tubers of the Agate potato cultivar. The project was developed in the research area of bataticulture and microclimate, on the Department of Agronomy at the State University of Central West - UNICENTRO, in Guarapuava-PR. Based on the results of the previoius researches, the accumulated water depletion in the soil of 28 mm was considered as the optimal irrigation management. Was applied water deficiency with accumulated soil water depletion 100% higer to the optimum irrgation management, in three periods of the crop vegetative cycle (1: 0 - 30 DAE, 2: 31 – 60, and 3: 61 – 90 DAE). The results showed that in the experimental conditions, in general the water deficit in the initial period of the vegetative cycle (0 - 30 DAE) affected more severely the culture, reducing the vegetative growth and productivity of the Agate potato cultivar.