Quantifying yield gaps and agronomic drivers of potato productivity in Bhutan

Quantifying yield gaps and agronomic drivers of potato productivity in Bhutan | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Quantifying yield gaps and agronomic drivers of potato productivity in Bhutan Passang Wangmo, Yadunath Bajgai, Yenten Namgay, Tshering Tobgay, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7936893/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in American Journal of Potato Research → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Potato ( Solanum tuberosum ) is a vital crop for food security and livelihoods in Bhutan, yet its productivity has declined, with a national average yield (11.8 t ha⁻¹) severely lagging behind regional and global benchmarks. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to quantify the yield gap for two popular varieties, Desiree and Yusi Maap, and identify key influencing factors. Significant yield gaps of 41% and 52% were found, respectively. The Classification and Regression Tree (CART) model identified seed source as the primary driver; using certified seeds boosted yields to 20.7 t ha⁻¹ compared to 12.3 t ha⁻¹ with self-saved seeds. Other critical factors included soil type, access to agricultural services, and weed management, where weeding twice increased yields by 50%. The findings underscore the need for improved seed systems, targeted agronomic training, and enhanced input access to close yield gaps and promote the sustainable intensification of potato farming in Bhutan. Potato Bhutan Seed source Weed Management CART Analysis Sustainable Intensification Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in American Journal of Potato Research → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7936893","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":551678045,"identity":"15c4fad6-fc26-486f-9af7-3cb37a30102f","order_by":0,"name":"Passang Wangmo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA2klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDADfvYGIGlgQYIWyZ4DIC0SJGgxuJEAoojQYs5+/PGHnztqEzfcfH51w48CCQb+9u4EvFose3LMJHvPHE+ceTun7GYP0GESZ85uwO+eAzlsDLxtx3L7buek3eABajGQyCWg5fzzxx//ArU03DyTdvMPUVpuJBhI87bV5E64wX7sNlG2WM54YyYt23agfmZPDtttGQMJHoJ+MedPf/zxbVudMT/78Wc33/yxkeNv7yXgMAh1GIh5wGwevMqRtNQBMfsDgqpHwSgYBaNgZAIA9bJOsF1N6HMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"National Centre for Organic Agriculture","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Passang","middleName":"","lastName":"Wangmo","suffix":""},{"id":551678048,"identity":"195ab9d7-0122-4d85-abae-94840fa2f2be","order_by":1,"name":"Yadunath Bajgai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"The Ohio State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yadunath","middleName":"","lastName":"Bajgai","suffix":""},{"id":551678049,"identity":"648af4b2-9e92-4969-a5d0-dc6ad93f92a5","order_by":2,"name":"Yenten Namgay","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Centre for Organic Agriculture","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yenten","middleName":"","lastName":"Namgay","suffix":""},{"id":551678050,"identity":"44ccdac3-21d9-49de-9bcf-4d0888e9e0f9","order_by":3,"name":"Tshering Tobgay","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Centre for Organic Agriculture","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tshering","middleName":"","lastName":"Tobgay","suffix":""},{"id":551678051,"identity":"df058f91-3a08-4efc-9e5b-fa8727d6c365","order_by":4,"name":"Kailash Pradhan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Centre for Organic Agriculture","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kailash","middleName":"","lastName":"Pradhan","suffix":""},{"id":551678052,"identity":"2af6b641-5de1-41ca-995d-c270633a3027","order_by":5,"name":". 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