CONTENTS OF MINERAL SUBSTANCES IN THE POTATO (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM L.) TUBERS DEPENDING ON CULTIVAR AND LOCALITY IN THE AGRO-ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF KOSOVO

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plant is widespread with high skill production and multilateral use. It's one of the most important agricultural crops in the world, which occupy fourth place in total annual production at global level (about 300 million tons per year) after wheat, maize and rice. Chemical composition of potato tubers vary greatly depending on the cultivar genetic potential, applied agro-techniques and cultivation conditions, respectively. The aim of this research was to determine the mineral composition of four processing potato cultivars (‘Agria’, ‘Mustang’, ‘Sinora’ and ‘Marlen’) on two different agro-ecological regions in Kosovo. Field experiments were completely randomized block with four replications. After harvesting by random method, samples of 5 kg tubers were taken from each cultivar and analyzed in the laboratory of Kosovo Agriculture Institute (KAI). Mineral substances where determined by combustion at 700°C for one hour. Flame photometric method for Ca, K and Na, ASS method for Fe and Mg, while spectrophotometry was used for P determination. Statistically significant differences were found regarding the influence of cultivar, location and their interaction. The highest content of mineral matters (ash) was found in cultivar ‘Agria’ and the lowest one in cultivar ‘Sinora’.