Pesticides use in potato cultivation

A sample survey study from the Hooghly district, West Bengal, India

Abstract

After rice, wheat, and maize, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is India's fourth most significant food crop. In India, the cultivation of this crop has altered over the last few decades, becoming increasingly reliant on fertilisers and pesticides. Through a simple random survey approach, the current study seeks to assess understanding of the farmer community about the environmental implications of potato agriculture. Farmers in the Hooghly district of West Bengal, India, which is a significant potato growing district, were interviewed for primary data. According to this survey, a considerable number of farmers (65.6 percent) are aware of the issue of soil-fertility loss in the cultivated field as a result of the use of chemical fertilisers. Applying greater amount of fertiliser than the prescribed amount by the manufacturer with the loss of fertility over the years is another issue of concern. Negligible percentage of farmers (2.7%) employ regular soil-testing for fertility assessment. Amount of pesticide used on the other hand is dependent on several factors like breeds of potato, pest species infestation, infection of plant disease etc.