Crop residue mulch helps in better growth and yield of crops by soil moisture conservation and contributes to increased availability of nutrients under moisture deficit conditions. The experiment was conducted with residue mulch as main plot (rice straw mulch, maize stover mulch, and no mulch) and four rates of phosphorus (P) application as sub-plots (0, 40, 80, 120 kg ha−1) under split plot design. Over a two-year period, the effect of mulch and P application rate on dry matter accumulation followed an S-shaped curve, with peak values at 75 days after planting (DAP) over all the treatments. However, rice straw mulch (M1) reported 22.3% and 12.8% higher dry matter accumulation over no mulch (M0) and maize stover mulch (M2), respectively. Tuber dry matter accumulation increased linearly from 60 DAP to harvest, with M1 (5.49 t ha−1) reported higher values followed by M2 (5.07 t ha−1) and M0 (4.61 t ha−1). M1 achieved average tuber bulking rate (TBR) of 0.36 t ha⁻1 day⁻1, followed by M2 (0.34 t ha⁻1 day⁻1), and M0 (0.31 t ha⁻1 day⁻1), and it also reported 30.1 and 18.3% of higher tuber yield over M0 and M2, respectively. In comparison with M0 and P0, nutrient uptake of nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) was substantially higher in M1 and P120 treatments, which enhanced crop growth and yield performance. The study emphasises how mulches and increased P rates work together to improve nutrient uptake and potato yield.
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