Effects of shoot, root and stolon temperature on the development of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plant. II. Development of stolons

Abstract

Cultivars Bintje and Desiree were grown in a set-up that allowed temperatures of the shoot, root, and stolon environments to be separately varied. Shoot and root temperatures were either low, 18°C, or high, 28°C. Stolon temperatures were either ‘normal’, i.e. allowed to equilibrate at an ambient that depended on the temperatures of the shoot and root compartments, or ‘in-creased’ by fixed supplementary heating units in the stolon chambers. Haulm longevity was increased by the combination high shoot temperature and low root temperature, but greatly decreased by high shoot temperature combined with high root temperature. The increased stolon temperature also advanced senescence. The number of branches per stem (and thereby the number of leaves) was increased by an increase in stolon temperature, but the interaction with air temperature was significant. A high root temperature reduced the number of leaves significantly. The effects on stem yield were complex; several interactions proved significant. The total drymatter yield was affected by all single factors except shoot temperature.