Phenotypic variation of yielding of medium-early cultivars of edible potato

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyse the genotypic and environmental variation in yield, as well as the structure of the yield of tubers of medium-early cultivars of edible potato. The field study was carried out in the years 2015-2019 at the experimental station in Prusy near Krakow (50o07ʼN, 20o05ʼE) on chernozem. The following five potato cultivars were evaluated: Finezja, Oberon, Laskara, Satina and Tajfun. The total and commercial yield of tubers, the average tuber mass, the quantity of tubers from a plant, as well as the share of the fraction of large, commercial and small tubers were determined in the study. Of the potato features that were evaluated, the share of the commercial tuber fraction was the most stable. A low diversity was also found in the case of total and commercial yield of tubers, whereas the share of the fraction of small tubers was the least stable feature. The size of yields and their structure were determined mostly by environmental factors. Only in the case of the share of fractions of large and small tubers were the varietal properties more decisive than the genotypic-environmental interaction. The conducted cluster analysis identified two groups of cultivars: first—with a high yielding potential, substantial average tuber mass, a substantial share of commercial and large tubers; and second—with significantly lower tuber mass, substantial quantity of set tubers, particularly the fine ones with a simultaneous small share of large tubers.