Abstract
Assessing the effects of different growth regulators on sprout growth and tuber carbon-nitrogen metabolism during the storage of potato tubers is helpful to understand the physiological changes of dormancy in potatoes. In this study, a major potato cultivar ‘Chuanyu-117’ of Southwestern China was used as the experimental material. The tubers were immersed in sprouting inhibitors chlorpropham (CIPC), abscisic acid (ABA), and gibberellin A3 (GA3) to study sprout growth and changes in the carbon-nitrogen metabolism during tuber storage. The results showed that GA3 treatment shortened the dormancy intensity and amplitude by 17 days and 11 days, respectively, and that the sprouts grew faster after germination. Compared to the control treatment, ABA prolonged dormancy and increased its intensity by 6 days but shortened the amplitude by 11 days. After dormancy, the sprouts grew rapidly and uniformly. The CIPC treatment had a more significant dormancy prolonging effect. The stems germinated 70 days post treatment, and the germination period was extended by at least 40 days compared with the control. Tubers treated with different growth regulators showed similar carbon-nitrogen metabolism during the storage period. However, the rate of variation was significantly different. After 12 weeks, the starch content of tubers treated with GA3, ABA, and CIPC decreased by 13.36%, 11.30%, and 5.93%, respectively, while soluble sugar content decreased by 48.3%, 58.9%, and 56.1%, respectively. Soluble protein and crude protein content in the treated tubers first increased and then decreased. Soluble protein content in the tubers treated with GA3, ABA, and CIPC increased during storage but decreased in the later period. Crude protein content also increased the first time, and then decreased in the later period. Changes in the carbon-nitrogen ratio of tubers in different treatments during storage were also different. The carbon-nitrogen ratio of tubers treated with sprouting promotors was high, while that of the tubers treated with sprouting inhibitors was low and showed a gradual decreasing trend.
Highlights
As the world’s fourth largest food crop, potato has good nutritional and economic value and is widely used in the food, starch, feed, and pharmaceutical industries [1]
The major potato cultivar ‘Chuanyu-117’ of Southwestern China was used as the experimental material to assess the effects of CIPC and abscisic acid (ABA) as sprouting inhibitors and Gibberellin A3 (GA3) as a sprouting promotor on the growth of sprouts and the carbon-nitrogen metabolism of potato tubers during storage
This indicates that GA3 can break dormancy, shorten the dormancy period, and improve the concentration and uniformity of germination to some extent
Summary
As the world’s fourth largest food crop, potato has good nutritional and economic value and is widely used in the food, starch, feed, and pharmaceutical industries [1]. When potatoes are used as processing and feed materials, it is necessary to extend the dormancy period to prolong the preservation time of tubers. Research on dormancy regulation of potatoes has mainly considered the physical and growth regulator treatments. The former requires labor and material resources at high costs and the processing time is long, while the latter has the advantages of convenience, directness, and cost efficiency [6]. Only a few comparative studies have investigated the effects of ABA, GA3, and CIPC on the dormancy of potato tubers. We investigated the dormancy regulation technology and its material basis, aiming to provide theoretical evidence for the scientific storage and processing of potato tubers
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