Early Tuber Research Articles

Effect of irrigation frequency on the incidence of second growth of Russet Burbank potatoes in north-west Tasmania

In recent years, processors in Tasmania have introduced Russet Burbank as the most desirable potato cultivar for processing into French fries. Malformed tubers, collectively known as second growth, have been observed in some commercial Russet Burbank crops with the main defect being knobby tubers. Second growth of potato tubers has been shown to occur when the plant suffers a period of stress during the growth of the tubers such as drought, high and low temperatures, restricted soil aeration, interference with water and carbohydrate translocation and fertility imbalance (Sparks, 1958; Bodlaender, Lugt & Marinus, 1964; Iritani, 1981; Holder & Cary, 1984) or a combination of both drought and high temperature stress (Ohms, 1968). If stress from these factors is relieved, the renewed growth of the tuber is often confined to the eyes, producing knobby tubers (Moorby, 1978). Moderate water stress during early tuber bulking can lead to pear-shaped tubers (pointed at the basal end) whilst water stress during the latter part of the season can lead to tubers pointed at the apical end (Iritani, 1981). Knobby tubers are undesirable because knobs are easily broken off leading to yield loss and the exposure of tissue to infection. Severely pointed tubers cannot be processed efficiently into French fries.

Effect of Free and Conjugated Gibberellins on Roots of Potato Cuttings Treated with CCC [(2-chloroethyl) trimethylammonium chloride] in Relation to Tuber Formation

Summary Free endogenous gibberellins were almost absent in roots of potato cuttings watered with CCC. This behavior was in agreement with observations of early tuber formation. It is concluded that the «root factor» which delays tuberisation during root growth is a GA-like substance(s). CCC would not only inhibit the synthesis of free GAs and/or their release from conjugated forms but rather it would stimulate the formation of conjugated forms. The stimulatory effect of CCC on tuber formation was not correlated with a reduction of root volume. It appeared to be correlated with a drastic decrease of free GA-like substance(s).

Nitrogen Requirements of Potatoes1

AbstractNitrogen fertilizer applications, for maximum fertilizer efficiencies and crop yields, should be based on the N required by the crop during its various growth stages. The objectives of this paper were to identify the N requirements of the potato plant (Solanum tuberosumL.) during growth and to evaluate selected soil and plant tissue tests as indicators of the plant's N status. Growth analysis data and soil and petiole NO3‐N concentrations were obtained at predetermined time intervals from N fertilization treatments in replicated field studies on a coarse‐silty mixed, mesic Durixerollic Calciorthrid soil. Maximum early tuber growth occurred when leaf area index was between 2.5 and 3.2 and the tops contained between 79 and 100 kg N ha−1at the start of linear tuber growth. A preplant N fertilizer application between 67 and 134 kg ha−1gave these characteristics under the experimental conditions. The maximum dry matter production rate per day (approx. 250 kg ha−1) occurred when there was between 80 and 140 kg N ha−1in the plant tops and roots. An average tuber growth rate of 0.75 Mg ha−1day−1required a N uptake rate of 3.7 kg ha−1day−1to prevent the loss of N and dry matter from the tops and roots. Sufficient N was available for this rate when the soil NO3‐N concentration was > 7.5 mg kg−1(0.46‐m soil depth), corresponding to 15 000 mg kg−1NO3‐N in the fourth petiole. Soil and petiole NO3‐N concentrations may be used to adjust the N fertilization rates during the growing season. This practice has the potential of increasing the overall N fertilizer use efficiency and final tuber yields within the climatic, disease, and variety limitations.

Yield-evapotranspiration relationships and seasonal crop coefficients for frequently irrigated potatoes

‘Russet Burbank’ potatoes (Solarium tuberosum L.) were subjected to various levels of water application during the growing season. Water applied, rainfall, and soil water changes were measured at weekly intervals. Tuber yield and quality increased as water consumption increased from 300 mm to 650 mm. Evapotranspiration (ET) increased rapidly from plant emergence until early tuber bulking and declined gradually as plants matured. Comparing ET with pan evaporation provided coefficients (K) which changed in response to crop growth stages. K increased from 0.3 at emergence to over 0.8 during maximum leaf area and declined with crop maturity. The relationship between K and crop growth stage can be used with confidence in scheduling irrigation of potatoes in north central Oregon.

Potato (Solanum spp.) in the hot tropics I. Soil temperature effects on emergence, plant development and yield

Abstract In order to measure the influence of day or night soil temperature on the growth and yield of potato in the hot tropics, various soil temperature regimes were effected by spreading a reflectant or clear polyethylene sheeting, in a number of day/night combinations, over the soil surface. The soil reflectant reduced day time soil temperatures (at 5 cm depth) by a maximum of 7°C (e.g. 37°C control reduced to 30°C), and polyethylene increased it by 3–5°C. During the night soil temperature of reflectant treatments was generally cooler than the control, with little difference apparent by dawn, whereas polyehtylene maintained a temperature differential of approximately 2–3°C throughout the night. Treatments that reduced soil temperature hastened emergence, foliage development and canopy cover of the soil, the latter in turn further reduced day time soil temperature and favoured tuber initiation. The rapid rate of increase in leaf area observed in cooler soil treatments more than compensated for their early tuber initiation such that at early tuber initiation leaf area indexes were greater than those of later initiating treatments. Soil heating delayed emergence and reduced the final number of plants emerging, but tuber initiation, although delayed, was never inhibited. Tuber growth rates and final yields were markedly greater for cool soil treatments. Although the heating/cooling effect was negligible for the main bulking period (due to self shading), during the last 3–4 weeks of bulking, lodging of stems and branches caused the soil surface to become exposed and soil cooling in reflectant plots was again evident. Tuber yield ranged from 5 to 37 t/ha; for non-adapted clones yields were improved more than 100% by treatments effecting soil cooling whereas for those heating the soil yields were reduced by approximately 50%. The treatment influence on tuber yields was less notable for the clone DTO-33, selected for its heat tolerance. Tuber deformities were reduced in cooler soil treatments and tuber dry matter content was marginally greater, both indicative of less heat stress. Reduction of day, rather than night, soil temperature would appear to have a more practical application for yield improvement within the range of temperatures recorded in these experiments. Criteria for the selection of better adapted clones, on the basis of results from these experiments, are presented.

Yield and relationships among tuber size, sucrose and chip color in six potato cultivars on various harvest dates

Cultivars were harvested biweekly for yield, weekly for sucrose determinations, and stored for chipping. At the last harvest Crystal was highest in total and marketable yield. Specific gravity was higher in Lemhi, Russet Burbank, and Norchip than in Kennebec, Crystal and Dakchip. Storage tests showed Norchip had superior chipping color to other cultivars. Dakchip had better color after short rather than after long-term storage, while the opposite was true for Kennebec and Russet Burbank. Lemhi and Crystal were marginal in color throughout storage. Sucrose (mg sucrose/g fresh tuber) expressed as a sucrose rating (SR) ranged from 1.2 to 11.9 among the various cultivars and harvest dates. Correlation between SR’s and tuber size within cultivars ranged from −.91 to −.97. Variability in sucrose content of immature tubers explained 70% of the variability in chip color among cultivars after storage from four to six months. Sucrose levels may be used to predict relative chipping quality of various cultivars after moderate to long-term storage if measured during early tuber development when differences in sucrose concentration are greatest among cultivars.

Accumulated day-degrees as a measure of physiological age and the relationships with growth and yield in early potato varieties

SUMMARYData from nine experiments from 1973 to 1981 which examined the effects of physiological age on sprout and field growth of early potato varieties are reported. Length of longest sprout per tuber and all aspects of field growth were related to number of daydegrees > 4 °C experienced by the seed after onset of sprout growth (measured as the appearance of a 3 mm sprout). It is, therefore, suggested that this scale is an effective measure of physiological age. In Home Guard and Maris Bard, increasing age of seed tubers resulted in earlier emergence and tuber initiation, larger early leaf areas and increased early tuber yields. As growth proceeded young seed produced the largest and most persistent leaf areas and the yields surpassed those of older seed and in some experiments yields decreased with increasing age at the final harvests.Optimum ages for specific harvesting periods were determined from regressions of tuber yield on age. In both varieties, they decreased with delay in harvesting. However, optimum ages differed in the two varieties and the implications for production and storage of seed and testing of varieties are discussed.

Pre-harvest chemical applications for control of tuber infection byAlternaria solani

Pre-harvest chemical applications significantly reduced populations of viableAlternaria solani spores on the soil surface in the laboratory and field and the infection of potato tubers in the field. Only formaldehyde consistently reduced spore germination and tuber infection in the laboratory and the field but Difolatan 4F, Difolatan 4F + DMSO (dimethyl-sulfoxide), Manzate D, Manzate D + DMSO and sodium hypochlorite often reduced fungus populations significantly. More work is necessary before pre-harvest chemical applications can be recommended for control of early blight tuber decay due to the variable performance of many chemicals and the relatively high cost and corrosiveness of formaldehyde, the most effective chemical in the study.

Sangre: An oval, high quality red potato

Sangre is a medium maturing, high quality, fresh market red potato adapted to irrigated areas of the West. Tubers are deep red, oval to oblong, shallow-eyed and have a thick skin. Baking and boiling quality is excellent. Sangre is slow emerging and produces a medium size vine. It is susceptible to early and late blights, Verticillium, moderately susceptible to dry rot and bacterial soft rot, moderately resistant to early blight tuber rot, resistant to leafroll net necrosis, and rarely exhibits hollow heart, internal discoloration or blackspot.

The use of the topiary gene in adapting Solanum germplasm for potato improvement

The topiary gene, a single recessive conditioning very short stolons and early tuber initiation, may provide a tool for selecting wild species for tuberization. Topiary segregants may be recognized at the seedling stage, and there is good expression in interspecific hybrids. A genetically diverse diploid population, composed of accessions of 22 species selected for disease resistance and 2n gametes and crossed with sources of the topiary gene, is being developed. Recurrent phenotypic selection for yield and carliness of tuberization will be facilitated by the topiary trait, insect pollination and the self-incompatibility system. Standard varietal evaluation techniques including yield trials, sequential harvests, and tuber quality assessments can be applied to the population to alter gene frequencies or identify suitable parents for crossing to Tuberosum. Selected clones may be maintained in the field without clonal mixture. The population should retain most of the simply inherited disease resistance characteristics present in the original introductions. Adapted germplasm produced by this method should be especially valuable where the number of backcrosses to Tuberosum is to be minimized, as in the improvement of potatoes for quantitative traits such as yield, polygenic disease resistance, and environmental tolerance. Well-adapted clones may contribute a maximum input of genetic diversity through hybridization with Tuberosum haploids and subsequent polyploidization via 2n gametes.

Effect of rate and time of fertilization on nitrogen and yield of Russet Burbank potatoes under center pivot irrigation

Applying less N on Russet Burbank potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) at planting time may reduce the potential loss of N from sandy soil by wind erosion and leaching early in the season. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of rate and time of N fertilization on potato production. Potatoes were grown in outdoor pot cultures with N rates of 75,150 and 300 ppm and in field plots with N rates from 112 to 448 kg N/ha applied in single and split applications. The results from pot cultures harvested after one month’s growth showed that yield of tops increased and tuber yield decreased as applied N at planting increased from 75 ppm to 150 or 300 ppm. Field results showed that the yield of potatoes was as high or higher when N applications were split between planting and when plants were 15 to 20 cm tall (early tuberization) as with the same amount of N applied at planting. Generally 112 kg N/ha at planting time was sufficient when additional N was applied after emergence. Split application of N resulted in more second growth on tubers than when all of the N was applied at planting.

Erratum: Early Tuber Development from Explanted Stolon Nodes of Solanum tuberosum var. Kennebec

Previous articleNext article No AccessErratum: Early Tuber Development from Explanted Stolon Nodes of Solanum tuberosum var. KennebecPDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 141, Number 2Jun., 1980 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/337135 Journal History This article was published in the Botanical Gazette (1876-1991), which is continued by International Journal of Plant Sciences (1992-present). Copyright 1980 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Selection for 2n gametes and tuberization inSolanum chacoense

A breeding scheme is outlined which broadens the genetic base of the potato by incorporation of germplasm fromS. chacoense (Argentina) with Group Phureja and haploids of Group Tuberosum. Selection for adaptation to cultivation and production of 2n gametes is carried out at the diploid level, with the benefits of disomic ratios.S. chacoense provides increased genetic diversity, vegetative vigor and profuse flowering. About one-fifth of the 654 plants examined produced 2n eggs; clones with high 2n egg production may be obtained either by screening within particular introductions or by intercrossing known 2n egg producers. Only 16 of 1,212 plants screened produced 2n pollen —one by first division restitution. There is great variation among introductions and individuals for tuberization in the greenhouse. Selection for early tuberization in the field may be difficult due to extremely long stolons, but it would be facilitated by incorporation of the short stolon characteristic from the topiary mutant typeS. infundibuliforme. Male sterile Tuberosum haploids hybridize withS. chacoense to give male fertile interspecific F1 progeny, some of which produce 2n eggs or 2n pollen.

INFLUENCE DES SYSTÈMES DE CULTURE SUR LA CROISSANCE ET LE RENDEMENT DES POMMES DE TERRE

Three cultural systems for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) are evaluated on two soil types. A flat seedbed with hilling at the flowering stage promotes earlier plant growth and a higher early tuber yield than the traditional system (ridged seedbed with hilling at emergence) now used in Quebec. It also emphasizes the earliness of cv. Norland. Final yield with the above system is lower than with the traditional system in the presence but not in the absence of weeds. A ridged seedbed with hilling at the 15 to 20-cm stage gives low yields, particularly under wet soil conditions. The linear relationship between the site year and cultural system mean yields confirms these results. Linuron reduces tuber yield when used with the traditional system. Results indicate that potential yield is determined by leaf area but the actual yield level seems to be limited by rainfall during the latter part of the growing season.

Early Tuber Development from Explanted Stolon Nodes of Solanum tuberosum var. Kennebec

Tubers are initiated within 4 days when cultured stolon pieces with axillary buds are grown on medium with high (12%) sucrose levels. A comparison of several stages of tuber ontogeny with the initial explant showed that enlargement of cortical and pith cells accounts for the initial radial expansion of tubers. Later, phellogen activity and limited vascular cambium activity also increase tuber diameter. Although divisions occur in both the hypodermis and epidermis early in tuber growth, the phellogen layer arises from the hypodermis. Lenticels form below each stomate. Vascular parenchyma cells, unlike cortical and pith cells, store very little starch. Plastids of these cells possess few internal thylakoids but a considerable amount of lipid-like material.

Accumulation of protein, non-protein nitrogen and starch during tuber growth of three potato cultivars

The proportion of protein and non-protein nitrogen (NPN) in tuber dry matter decreases rapidly during the initial stages of tuber growth. Protein then stabilizes but NPN increases during the final stages of tuber growth. The percentage of starch in the dry matter increases rapidly during early tuber growth and then either stabilizes or increases at a slower rate. Protein and starch are accumulated at constant rates with respect to tuber growth and the relative amount of protein or starch in the tuber is logarithmically related to tuber size. During tuber growth some protein molecular weight classes increase in concentration while others decrease. We propose a model, based on the growth of storage parenchyma, to explain the data.

Comparison of nitrogen and phosphorus requirements between PVX free and regular Russet Burbank potato seed stocks

A Potato Virus X (PVX) free seed stock resulted in higher total yield and U.S. No. 1 potatoes than regular seed stock which carried PVX. Petiole samples from PVX free seed stock were higher in 2% acetic acid extractable PO4-P than those from regular seed at all rates of fertilizer phosphorus. A high positive correlation was found between petiole phosphate and yield at early tuber set. Increasing rates of nitrogen increased higher total and U.S. No. 1 yields of potatoes, but also slightly decreased specific gravity. The results of this study indicate that phosphorus fertilizer recommendations for growers using Russet Burbank seed low in PVX will necessarily be different from those made for growers planting ordinary seed.

COMPARISON OF GROWTH AND TUBER DEVELOPMENT IN THREE POTATO CULTIVARS WITH DIVERSE CANOPY SIZE

The basis of differences in tuber and plant development in potato, due to differences in canopy size, was studied by measuring changes in plant dry weight and leaf area throughout the growing season. Differing canopy sizes were obtained by selecting three cultivars from the Canada Potato Breeding Program. These were F57048, Grand Falls, and F62008, which normally produce small, medium and large sized canopies respectively, with similar tuber yields. Differences in total and tuber dry weight through the season were slight compared to differences observed in leaf and stem growth. The branching capacity of the cultivars appeared to be the major determinant of canopy size. In these three cultivars, as canopy size increased, the initial tuber growth rate immediately following tuberization decreased. Thus, in the two smaller cultivars, the early tuber growth rate was more critical in determining final yield than was the case in the large-canopied cultivar, F62008. As expected, the net assimilation rate increased as canopy size decreased. The evidence indicated that the demands of the developing tubers exerted the greatest influence on the net assimilation rate.

The effect of soil moisture and nitrogen on yield and quality of the Russet Burbank potato

A study was conducted to obtain more information on the effects of soil moisture and nitrogen on yield and quality of the Russet Burbank potato. Total yield of tubers increased with nitrogen rates as a result of more tubers per plant and larger tubers but the percent of malformed tubers also increased. Increased nitrogen rates decreased of dry matter of tubers and increased the total amino-nitrogen content of the tubers. Placing all of the nitrogen in bands on each side of the row produced more tubers having growth cracks, culls and reduced yield of No. 1’s when compared with broadcasting. Applying a moisture stress to potato plants during the early tuber set period increased the percentage of malformed tubers having pointed stem ends, bottlenecks and dumbbell shapes; although total yield and grade of tubers were not significantly affected. Irrigating when available soil moisture was 75 or 85 percent instead of 65 percent during the growing season did not affect total yield, grade or tuber quality at the five percent probability level.

Amylase and invertase activities in relation to the concept of a ‘physiological sink’ in potato plants grown in different seasons, and the influence of chlormequat upon these

Field trials were done to study the relation of dry matter accumulation, tuberization, and total carbohydrate content in different plant organs with the activities of amylase and invertase in different growth seasons (winter and summer). The activities of both enzymes showed higher levels in winter and were correlated with lower total carbohydrate contents in leaves. However, dry matter production in tubers was higher in winter. It is suggested that higher hydrolytic activity might therefore be needed in winter for the mobilization of the stored carbohydrates in the leaves for transport to the physiological sink. In the conditions of earlier tuberisation and more dry matter production, higher activities of amylase and invertase were found. Chlormequat treatments led to higher amylase activity in leaves correlated with earlier tuberisation and higher tuber yield, thouth invertase activity was not affected or rather slightly decreased.