Seed potato production in the Kamchatka Territory: evaluation and selection of domestic varieties

The article presents the results of a study on the state of the potato industry and the seed production system in the Kamchatka Territory. An analysis of the 2020–2024 dynamics showed that the total potato area across all farm categories changed insignificantly (by 0.9 %; from 1.852 to 1.836 thousand ha), while the crop structure changed quite significantly: the area increased by 21.5 % in agricultural enterprises, while in peasant farms it decreased by 16.8 %, and in in private farms remained at the same level. By 2024, the gross potato harvest had decreased by 10.5 % (from 39.679 to 35.519 thousand tons), and the average yield declined to 18.2 t/ha (by 15 %). The most significant decrease was observed in agricultural enterprises, while private farms maintained the 2020 level. An agrobiological and economic evaluation of modern domestic potato varieties represented in the in vitro healthy varieties bank was conducted. Comprehensive assessment of yield, stability, and resistance to phytopathogens and adverse environmental factors made it possible to identify the forms adapted to the short and cool growing season. Among early-maturing varieties (Vzryvnoi, Karmen, Kupets, etc.), yields ranged from 24.6 to 31.8 t/ha; among the middle-early ones (Flamingo, Evraziya, Atletik) – 28.2–35.7 t/ha, exceeding the standard by up to 80% and more. Based on the share of seed fraction, the varieties Vzryvnoi, Karmen, Kupets, Flamingo, Kalinka, Evraziya, Atletik, Krasa, and Kumach are recommended for seed production. The obtained results make it possible to form a sustainable regional seed base based on domestic varieties that exceed the standard for yield and stability, as well as the yield of the seed fraction with an adapted cultivation technology (destruction of tops 10–14 days before harvesting to increase the yield of the seed fraction and reduce the risk of latent infections in the conditions of the Kamchatka Territory).