DEGENERATION OF POTATO SEED IN MEGHALAYA AND NAGALAND STATES IN NORTH-EASTERN HILLS OF INDIA

Field experiments were conducted at CPRS, Shillong (Meghalaya) and Kohima (Nagaland), during 2008-11 to evaluate the rate of degeneration due to viral diseases in cvs. Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Giriraj. The first year harvest was carried forward along with the good quality seed to compare the yield loss in subsequent years. Incidence of Mild Mosaic, Severe Mosaic and Potato Leaf Roll was higher in ware crop as compared to quality seeds. The results revealed that seed stocks of cv. Kufri Jyoti can be maintained for more than 4 years and cv. Kufri Giriraj can be maintained for 3-4 years in both the states following the essentials of “Seed Plot Technique”.