SUMSING, 25 Jul: Geku-based Upper Siang Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), under the ICAR-IARI NEH programme on potato has, since 2021 been promoting scientific potato cultivation by distributing quality seed tubers of improved varieties free of cost, besides providing continuous technical guidance to farmers.

Before the intervention, potato cultivation in Sumsing was limited to small kitchen gardens for household consumption.

 Farmers generally used seed tubers purchased from the local market without knowing the variety, and potatoes were grown only during the winter season, following the conventional belief that potato is strictly a rabi crop.

The KVK in a release informed that among the beneficiary farmers, Oyem Paron Taku used the kufri jyoti variety supplied by the KVK and began experimenting with potato planting at different times of the year. Although kufri jyoti is an old variety, it performed remarkably well under the local conditions, proving that a well-adapted variety can continue to outperform newer ones, the release added.

Over the last two years, she adopted a batch-wise staggered planting system and carefully observed crop performance across different planting windows. Her experience revealed that there is no fixed season for planting potatoes in Sumsing village. Potatoes can be grown successfully throughout the year under the village’s unique microclimatic conditions.

She also observed that the crop planted in February, March and April and harvested in July consistently produced the highest yield, with larger and better-quality tubers.

“Her success demonstrates the importance of combining scientific guidance with farmers’ practical knowledge and willingness to innovate. It also highlights that location-specific crop management can sometimes be more effective than generalized crop calendars,” the KVK release said, adding that Taku’s experience would encourage more farmers in Sumsing and other similarly situated areas of Upper Siang district to adopt year-round potato cultivation.