Effect of physiological age on growth vigour of seed potatoes of two cultivars. 4. Influence of storage period and storage temperature on growth and yield in the field

Abstract

The influence of storage period and temperature on growth and yield was investigated for 3 years in a field study with cvs. Jaerla and Desiree, stored at 4°C or 12°C, in darkness, as a part of a combined study on the effect of physiological age on growth vigour. The seed of cv. Jaerla proved to age more rapidly than that of cv. Desiree: ‘little potato’ occurred in Jaerla, but in Desiree only when seed had been stored at 12°C and planted late. The 4°C treatments emerged more rapidly, produced more stems per plant and the onset of senescence was earlier than the 12°C treatments. There was no difference in time of tuber initiation between the two treatments. There were usually more tubers per stem in the 12°C treatments. Final tuber yield of Jaerla 12°C was lower than that of Jaerla 4°C, but the difference was only statistically significant at early harvest. There was no difference in yield between Desiree 4°C and 12°C, except for the 2nd planting time in 1981, when the 12°C treatment yielded significantly less.