Abstract

Root and tuber crops have been an important part of human nutrition since the early days of humanity, providing us with essential carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. Today, they are especially important in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where they help to feed an ever-growing population. Early induction and storage organ size are important agricultural traits, as they determine yield over time. During potato tuberization, environmental and metabolic status are sensed, ensuring proper timing of tuberization mediated by phloem-mobile signals. Coordinated cellular restructuring and expansion growth, as well as controlled storage metabolism in the tuber, are executed. This review summarizes our current understanding of potato tuber development and highlights similarities and differences to important tuberous root crop species like sweetpotato and cassava. Finally, we point out knowledge gaps that need to be filled before a complete picture of storage organ development can emerge.

Highlights

  • Examples of different storage organs within root and tuber crops

  • Tubers are formed on stolons, a modified stem structure found in plants like Solanum tuberosum

  • Potato and sweetpotato plants can reproduce sexually through flowering and seed production or asexually through storage organ formation, as both potato tubers and sweetpotato storage roots are able to regrow a new shoot that eventually develops into a new plant

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Summary

Introduction

Examples of different storage organs within root and tuber crops. Thickening of the stem base results in corms in plants like Colocasia esculenta (taro). The increase in sucrose synthase activity correlated with the accumulation of starch in storage organs of many plant species, indicating that it is an important determinant of sink strength [129, 161]. Expression of starch biosynthetic genes is increased early during storage root initiation in sweetpotato and cassava, which is most likely fueled by an increased sucrose supply [45, 155].

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