Effect of three anti-gibberellin growth retardants on tuberization of induced and non-induced Katahdin potato leaf-bud cuttings

Abstract

Katahdin potato plants were grown in a growth chamber undernoninducing conditions and treated with three anti-gibberellin growth retardants. Other plants were sprayed with gibberellic acid and placed in aninducing growth chamber adjusted to promote tuber induction. Treatments were repeated the following week. After final treatment, apical, sub-apical, medial and basal leaf-bud cuttings were taken from each plant and placed in a mist chamber. After two weeks, cuttings were examined for tuberization. Two of the retardants were associated with approximately 3 and 2 fold increases in tuberization over the non-induced control. Although induced control cuttings exhibited almost complete tuberization, application of gibberellic acid to plants grown under identical conditions, reduced tuberization 14 fold. Tuberization response of induced control cuttings was unaffected by stem location. In non-induced control and quaternary ammonium compound-treated cuttings, basal cuttings tuberized significantly better than those taken from higher on the stem. This pattern was eliminated for plants treated with the triazole compound. Below-ground portions of donor plants were also examined and showed a significant increase in average rhizome number and total rhizome length associated with inducing conditions. Tuber number of donor plants was also increased for those plants grown under inducing conditions or treated with the triazole compound under noninducing conditions.