Organic and Inorganic Mulches Combination Improves the Productivity, Quality and Profitability of Rainfed Potato in the Temperate Himalayan Region

Mulch enhances soil fertility by preventing moisture loss, maintaining soil temperature, suppressing weed growth, facilitating microbial growth, preventing soil erosion and compaction. Mulching is recommended in potato cultivation because of its ability to conserve soil moisture. Organic and inorganic mulches are commonly used in potato production. Due to irregular rainfall patterns and rainfed irrigation system in the region, mulching is an essential practice that must be undertaken to enhance growth, productivity and profitability of potatoes. To explore more about the effects of different mulches on potato, an investigation was taken out to see how different organic and inorganic mulches impacted the yield, quality, and economics of potato. The experiment had ten treatments and observations recorded on various parameters were related to yield, quality, and economics. The results revealed that among all the inorganic mulches, treatment (T 1 ) black polythene mulch had the highest number of tuber per plant (23.00 TN), average tuber weight (0.750 kg), marketable tuber yield per plot (31.72 kg), total yield (496.89 q ha −1 ), total soluble solid (7.68 0 Brix), vitamin C (18.74 mg 100 g −1 ), specific gravity (1.083 g cc −1 ), dry matter content (22.51%), starch content (14.70%) and protein content (1.746%). As for the organic mulches, treatment (T 8 ) rice straw mulch recorded maximum tubers per plant (16.68 TN), average tuber weight per plant (0.438 kg), marketable tubers per plot (13.42 kg) and total yield (275.68 q ha −1 ). Among the quality parameters of organic mulches, treatment (T 9 ) farmyard manure mulch recorded maximum vitamin C (18.72 mg 100 g −1 ), while (T 8 ) rice straw mulch recorded maximum total soluble solid (7.65 0 Brix), specific gravity (1.074 g cc −1 ), dry matter content (21.23%), protein content (1.75%) and starch content (12.80%). A maximum net return of 4.51 per rupee (0.013 united states dollar) invested was registered with treatment (T 1 ) black polythene inorganic mulch. For the organic mulch, a maximum return of 2.83 per rupee (0.013 united states dollar) invested were registered with the (T 8 ) rice straw mulch.