YIELD, DISEASE RESISTANCE AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF ELITE POTATO VARIETIES IN EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN
Abstract
Introduction: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a strategically important food crop for Kazakhstan; expanding domestic elite-category seed production of varieties adapted to the continental climate of Eastern Kazakhstan remains a priority for reducing dependence on imported planting material. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in 2025 at the elite seed nursery of the East-Kazakhstan Research Institute of Agriculture on ordinary medium-loamy chernozem (humus 3.7-3.9%, pH 6.8-7.0), evaluating seven potato varieties — Aksor, Kolombo and Red Scarlett under rainfed conditions and Edem, Sanibel, Karelia and Bernina under furrow irrigation — planted on 14-18 May following standard seed treatment, herbicide, fungicide and insecticide application, with yield, disease and pest incidence, and economic efficiency assessed according to the field experiment methodology of B.A. Dospekhov. Results: Yield ranged from 10.3 to 31.4 t/ha; under rainfed conditions Aksor showed the highest yield (22.5 t/ha), while under irrigation Edem (31.4 t/ha) and Sanibel (30.6 t/ha) were most productive; disease incidence remained low for domestic varieties (0.1-0.3% for late blight, common scab and viral infection), while the newly introduced varieties Sanibel, Bernina and Karelia showed moderate late blight infection (5-8%, 2 points); Colorado potato beetle damage did not exceed 1.0-1.5% across all varieties; economic analysis showed the highest net profit per hectare for Edem (2,682,000 KZT) compared with Karelia (1,577,000 KZT). Discussion and conclusions: domestic varieties demonstrated productivity comparable to or exceeding introduced cultivars under both moisture regimes, confirming their suitability for elite seed multiplication in the region; Edem is recommended as a priority variety for irrigated conditions given its combination of high yield and economic return. Ways of future research: further work should include multi-year replicated trials with statistical analysis, biochemical evaluation of tuber quality, and monitoring of varietal degeneration across successive seed reproductions.