Synchronisation of tuber growth in potato ( Solanum tuberosum): a statistical model

Abstract

It has been claimed that potato plants have a tendency to produce tubers of equal size (“twinning”). Whether twinning occurred more often than could be expected by chance was investigated using tubers from approximately 200 plants of cv. Prominent, on each of three dates. Two tubers, with dry weights a and b, are classified as twins when the | a− b|≤0.05 ( a+ b). For each harvest the tuber-size distributions were described by log-normal curves on a dry weight scale. This curve, which describes the probability density function, was used together with a random number generator to simulate the twinning frequency by chance. Although frequencies of twinning up to 55% were observed, the simulated and observed frequencies were not significantly different. There was no evidence to support the claim.