Effect of Perforated Film And Polypropylene Nonwoven Covering On The Marketable Value of Early Potato Yield

The effect of cover material (perforated polyethylene film, polypropylene nonwoven) and date of its removal (2 and 3 weeks after plant emergence) on the marketable value of the yield of early potato cultivar (Aksamitka, Cykada) was investigated. Potatoes were harvested 60 and 75 days after planting, in the second and third decade of June. Plant vegetation forcing by covering resulted in an increase in the marketable tuber yield (diameter >30 mm) and improved marketable value due to a reduced share of small tubers, with the diameter of 31-40 mm, especially at a very early date of potato harvest. In potato cultivation for very early crop, the cover material had a greater effect on the tuber yield and its marketable value than the length of plant covering period. Perforated film was a better kind of cover than polypropylene nonwoven, especially in the year with cold spring. At the delayed date of potato harvest the marketable tuber yield depended, to a higher degree on the date of cover removal. Higher yield was obtained when the cover was removed 2 weeks after plant emergence.