Studies in potato agronomy. I. The effects of variety, seed size and spacing on growth, development and yield

Abstract

1. Growth and development in relation to yield were studied in the two maincrop varieties King Edward and Majestic in 1959 and 1960. The effects of seed size and spacing were also investigated.2. The total tuber yield, and more particularly the ware yield, of Majestic was greater in both years. This was associated with a longer period of tuber bulking in this variety, due, in 1959, to earlier tuber initiation, and in 1960, to earlier tuber initiation and greater persistence of tuber bulking. Large seed outyielded small seed, although the difference, particularly in ware yield, was relatively small. The seed size effect was associated with a difference in the length of the bulking period, in consequence of a difference in the time of tuber initiation. Total yield tended to increase with decrease in spacing distance; ware yield increased as spacing distance decreased from 24 to 18 in., but there was little difference between 12 and 18 in. spacing. In general, low seed rates performed better than might be expected.