NARO unveils new disease resistant Irish potato seeds

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two fresh Irish Potato seed varieties have been unveiled in Uganda thanks to months of research by the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO), and Kachwekano Zonal Agriculture Research Institute.

The varieties that have been named NARO Pot 5 and NARO Pot 6 are disease resistant, according to Jorom Kubiriba, the Director of Research for Kachwekano Zonal Agriculture Research Institute.

Kubiriba says that in addition to disease resistance, the new varieties are resistant to drought, have high dry matter content for processing and are good for eating as well as short dormancy.  He says that the production of varieties started three years ago in the areas of Kigezi, where Irish Potatoes are both a staple food and a source of income for the farmers.

Kabale, Rubanda, Rukiga and Kisoro districts produce at least 60  per cent of the Irish potatoes in the country, while outside Kigezi, Irish potatoes are mostly grown in the Bugisu sub-region, as well as Mubende and Mityana districts.

In Kigezi, current common varieties grown by farmers include Rwangume, Kinigi, Nakapot 5, Kachwe 1, and Rutuku, according to National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS).

However, in 2022, Researchers under the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), a non-government organization, released a report showing a decline in production of the crop in the Kigezi region from 7 metric tonnes to four metric tons per hectare. The research was conducted over seven years.

The report attributed the decline to diseases attacking Irish potatoes like latent infection of bacterial wilt, leaf bright and tuber moth diseases among others. The Research also attributed it to the tendency of farmers in the Kigezi region to plant small-size Irish potato seeds and sell the bigger size.

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