555 The Impact of Supplemental Calcium Fertilization during Potato Seed Tuber Production on Subsequent Crop Performance

Abstract

Tuber tissue calcium has been linked to several potato quality characteristics, including internal defects and the susceptibility of tubers to decay by soft rotting Erwinia species. We were particularly interested in studying the relationship between supplemental calcium fertilization during the seed tuber production cycle to raise the seed piece calcium concentration and the impact on crop performance the following season. The role of seed tuber tissue calcium level on seed piece decay, growth, development, and performance of the plant was evaluated for cultivars Russet Burbank, Dark Red Norland, Atlantic, Superior, and Snowden. This study was performed over four growing seasons. Seed tubers were raised with varying calcium and the following season, individual tubers (over 3,000 total for 4 years of study) were sampled for calcium and hand planted in the field. They were evaluated for seed piece decay and total tuber yield during the growing season. Seed tubers raised with supplemental calcium resulted in significantly higher mean calcium content than the control tubers. In general, calcium-raised seed tubers tended to produce a more vigorous main sprout and higher tuber yield. We also found that there are significant differences among these cultivars for the characteristics measured. Consistently, in all three years, `Atlantic' responded to test conditions with the lowest decay values, and `Dark Red Norland' consistently showed the highest decay values. This suggests that there may be a genetic component involved in these two responses and these genotypic differences could be exploited to improve cultivated potatoes.