Effect of pre-planting temperature and light treatments of seed tubers on potato yield and tuber size distribution

Abstract

From 1985 to 1987 field experiments were caried out to test the influence of different pre-planting storage treatments on yield and size distribution of potato crops. The storage treatments included 4, 8 and 12°C in the light and in the dark, for different periods before planting. Subjecting the seed tubers to light at low temperatures induced crops to produce a larger proportion of smaller sized tubers while storing seed tubers at higher temperatures in the dark led to an increase of tubers >55 mm. These observations were confirmed in five field experiments with two cultivars at two sites and in three growing seasons.