Yield potential and antioxidant activity of potatoes with coloured flesh

Abstract

In the experiment yield potential and antioxidant activity (AOA) of 13 potato cultivars with different flesh colour (purple (p); red (r); yellow (y) and white (w)) were evaluated at two localities with different environmental condi tions in three years 2009–2011. Yield potential was evaluated at harvest time in physiological maturity of crop stand. The results confirm that total yield and yield of tubers > 40 mm of coloured potatoes cvs. Red Emmalie/r (68.98 t/ha), Blaue Elise/p (59.96 t/ha), Valfi/p (53.72 t/ha) were comparable with control cvs. Agria/y, Lady Balfour/w and Russet Burbank/w. Some cultivars with lower yield had share of tubers above 40 mm comparable with control cultivars (94.45% and 93.48% in case of cvs. Valfi/p and Blue Congo/p), respectively. Antioxidant activity was determined as ascorbic acid equivalent by ABTS (2,2´-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) method. The lowest antioxidant activity was observed in the control cvs. Lady Balfour/w (ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE) 74.1 mg/kg fresh mattter (FM)), Agria/y (AAE 84.4 mg/kg FM) and Russet Burbank (AAE 93.9 mg/kg FM). In the group of cultivars with red flesh AOA was 3.2 to 5.1 times higher and in a group of purple-fleshed cultivars it was from 3.7 to 7.0 times higher.