Author(s): Shivanjali Sarswat, Sandeep Chopra, Satesh Kumar and Aaqib Ayub

Abstract: The FAO has classified potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) as "Food for Future" Due to its high productivity and high nutritional content. It is the world’s fourth most important food crop (Ezekiel et al. 2013; Zhang et al. 2016) With a production and productivity of 51.31 million MT and 24.00 t/ha, respectively, across an area of 2.14 million ha, India comes in second place to China. However, in order to meet the demands of a growing population and economy, it is estimated that India will need to produce 55.00 and 122 million MT of potatoes by 2025 and 2050, respectively. Because potatoes offer a substantially higher economic yield per unit area and unit time, they have gained importance in areas with limited cultivable land. The most significant issue with the vegetative form of propagation of potatoes, which is through tubers, is the gradual and substantial reduction in the yield potential of seed tubers over time, a phenomenon known as "degeneration." It is now well acknowledged that viruses, phytoplasmas, and viroids-which proliferate throughout subsequent clonal generations—are the cause of degeneration. Thus, there is always a chance that they will be introduced using planting material to new locations. Large-scale economic losses in potato crop is caused by viral infections, especially in warm, humid climates where the conditions are perfect for the spread of viruses and their vectors. The purpose of this study work is to investigate the complex interactions between tuber size, planting arrangements, and bio-inoculants in an attempt to develop thorough and efficient solutions. It is crucial to comprehend the way these factors affect the prevalence of potato viruses as the farming environment changes.

DOI: 10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i2b.521