932 AJCS 11(08):932-940 (2017) ISSN:1835-2707 doi: 10.21475/ajcs.17.11.08.pne339 Participatory assessment of potato farming systems, production constraints and cultivar preferences in Uganda Prossy Namugga* 1, 2 , Rob Melis 1 , Julia Sibiya 1 , Alex Barekye 2 1 African Centre for Crop Improvement, University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa 2 National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Kachwekano Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute, P.O. Box 421 Kabale, Uganda *Corresponding author: namuggak@gmail.com Abstract Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major food and cash crop mainly grown by small-scale farmers in the highland regions of Uganda. Farmer practices and constraints in potato production and management differ from one area to another and so are desired attributes. A survey was conducted in eight major potato producing districts of Uganda. The study districts were from Central, Eastern and South Western regions of the country. The survey was carried out from May to August 2015. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 577 individual farmers. The results showed that potato is produced for both food and cash benefits in all the districts. Only 2% of the respondents from Eastern and South western Uganda obtained seed from research stations while all respondents from Central Uganda used farm saved seed. Major production challenges were pests and diseases. The major pests were aphids and cutworms while late blight and bacterial wilt were the prominent diseases. Across the three regions Rwangume and Victoria were the commonly grown cultivars while Cruza and Marierahinda were the most rejected varieties. These were rejected on account of being white skinned with low marketability and Cruza becomes marshy on cooking. High yield, resistance to late blight, early maturity and marketability were the most preferred attributes in new varieties. Late blight had been experienced by 98% of the farmers and 96% of these reported to have used fungicides to manage the disease. Keywords: Attributes, variety, farmer practices, diseases, late blight, management. Introduction Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major food and cash crop, mainly grown by small-scale farmers in the highland regions of many African countries. Uganda is the ninth largest producer of potato in Africa with an annual production of 188,000 tons harvested from about 39000 ha per year (FAOSTAT, 2014). The major production areas are the highlands of south-western Uganda, comprising of Kabale, Kanungu and Kisoro districts which account for 60% of total national production. The other potato producing areas are Kapchorwa, Sironko, Bulambuli and Bududa districts on the slopes of Mt Elgon in Eastern Uganda and Nebbi district in north-western Uganda. Potato cultivation has spread to non-traditional producing areas in Central Uganda, especially Mubende, Rakai and Masaka districts. Potato yields in Uganda have remained low about 4.8 t ha -1 (FAOSTAT, 2014) against a potential of about 25 t ha -1 which can be achieved under good management and when suitable varieties are deployed. These low yields have been attributed to a number of confounding factors which are biotic, abiotic, and socio-economic constraints as well as poorly adapted and adopted varieties. Diseases are the major limiting factor and these include; - late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, bacterial wilt (BW) (Ralstonia solanacearum) (Muthoni et al., 2013) and viruses (Muhinyuza et al., 2012). Late blight is the most devastating disease of potato leading to yield losses of up to 70% (Sedláková et al., 2011). The disease is present in all main potato growing areas (Hijmans, 2001). It is favoured by moderately low temperatures and extended times of leaf dampness. It is particularly detrimental in the highland tropics where potatoes are grown throughout the year, coupled with poor ability of farmers to understand and manage the disease (Garrett et al., 2001). Late blight regularly reduces potato productivity leading to large differences between actual and realised yields. Attempts to develop late blight resistant cultivars therefore call for superior attention to disease management. Most of the available potato varieties in Uganda are late maturing with physiological maturity attainable after 100 days from planting if they are to reach the full yield potential of more than 15 t ha -1 . These varieties were selected for the highlands (>2000 meters above seas level (masl)), and thus are well adapted and produce good yields with excellent culinary qualities in the highlands. Attempts to grow these varieties at low and mid-altitudes (<1700 masl) have resulted into loss of tuber quality and low yields (Hassanpanah et al., 2008). Early maturing varieties would allow all year round cultivation of potato with favourable rotation periods and improved yields in the face of climate change. This is especially advantageous for smallholder farmers who depend entirely on potato for both food and income security in areas AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE | SUBMITTED: 15-AUG-2016 | REVISED: 20-JAN-2017 | ACCEPTED: 30-JAN-2017