PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a modified stem crop of global significance and is recognised as one of the most important vegetable commodities worldwide. This study evaluated ten advanced potato clones (PS/19-02, PS/19-04, PS/19-12, PS/19-24, PS/19-26, PS/19-31, PS/19-41, PS/19-43, PS/19-44, and PS/19-50), together with five control varieties (Kufri Lohit, Kufri Manik, Kufri Lalit, Kufri Lalima, and Kufri Neelkanth) for yield, quality and nutritional traits relevant to breeding red-skinned varieties suitable for the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. Field experiments were conducted at the ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Regional Centre, Patna, Bihar, and laboratory analyses were conducted at ICAR-CPRI, Shimla, during 2023–2024 and 2024–2025. The trials were laid out in a Randomised Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Potato tubers were planted on ridges at a spacing of 20 cm (plant-to-plant) × 60 cm (row-to-row) and a depth of 4–5 cm. Two crop durations, 75 and 90 days were conducted. The measured parameters included total tuber yield (t/ha), marketable tuber yield (t/ha), dry matter content (%) and nutritional composition (Fe, Zn, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and anthocyanins). Superior performance was observed in clone PS/19-50, which recorded a marketable tuber yield of 32.51 t/ha at 75 days and in PS/19-41, which achieved 36.88 t/ha at 90 days. These two clones exhibited low storage losses under ambient conditions (7.37% for PS/19-50 and 17.4% for PS/19-41). Nutritional profiling revealed high mineral contents with Fe at 34.65 ppm in PS/19-24 and Zn at 25.31 ppm in PS/19-50. Key selection traits included ovoid-to-round tuber shape, red skin colour, pigmented flesh ranging from dark to light red, shallow eyes, and desirable organoleptic qualities. The primary objective was to assess the yield and nutritional performance of advanced potato clones to develop red-skinned varieties adapted to the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.