New disease symptoms observed on field-grown potato plants with potato spindle tuber viroid and potato virus Y infections

Summary Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV) and potato virus Y (PVY) were isolated from plants of cultivar Kennebec with severe necrotic symptoms in the field. In the greenhouse, severe necrotic symptoms were reproduced only when potato plants were infected either simultaneously with PSTV+PVY, or with PSTV prior to PVY infection. Thirteen additional potato cultivars were tested in the greenhouse for this synergistic reaction and eight developed necrotic responses similar to cv. Kennebec. PVY concentration was significantly higher in doubly infected plants, compared with those infected with PVY alone.     

Comparative detection of mild strains of potato spindle tuber viroid from the dormant potato tubers by Return-polyacrylamiee gel electrophoresis and nucleic acid hybridization

Summary Using a modified procedure of Return-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (R-PAGE) mild strains of potato spindle tuber viroid (M-PSTV) were detected reliably from dormant tubers. The sensitivity of R-PAGE detection of M-PSTV was equivalent to that of nucleic acid hybridization. Both methods detected M-PSTV when infected tissue was mixed with healthy tissue in a ratio of 1 to 100. When extracted nucleic acid was diluted with buffer, R-PAGE detected PSTV at a dilution of 1:256 and nucleic hybridization only up to 1:64 PSTV was readily detected from 18 potato cultivars. In addition, mild, ‘intermediate’ and severe strains were separated by R-PAGE, on the basis of their mobility on the electrophorogram.     

Spindle tuber virus in seeds and pollen of infected potato plants

The presence of potato spindle tuber virus (PSTV) in seed and pollen of diseased plants was demonstrated. Transmission through the seed from open-pollinated female parents to the seedlings occurred frequently (average 31%) but varied in individual collections from zero to 100%. The amount of transmission did not appear to be correlated with variety or with age of the seed. All PSTV infections encountered appeared to be caused by mild strains. It is suggested that only healthy parents should be used for breeding purposes.     

马铃薯纺锤块茎类病毒不同株系及不同接种方法对产量的影响

马铃薯纺锤块径类病毒(Potato spindle tuber viroid)是危害黑龙江省马铃薯生产的一种重要病害。为了查明不同类病毒变株对主栽品种克新1号和4号所引起的产量损失和症状反应,应用往复聚丙烯胺凝胶电泳法(Peturn-Polyacmdegel electophoresis)鉴定类病毒。试验结果表明,接种当年,接种类病毒的处理平均减产37%,按商品产量计算减产达47%。当年表现症状的植株平均为59.6%,块茎产生症状的植株平均为57.4%。用于接种的3个马铃薯纺锤块茎类病毒变株的致病力,以当地的类病毒弱系为最强,其次为北美的类病毒强系,北美的类病毒弱系的致病力较弱。类病毒对产量的影响与马铃薯品种和类病毒变株的组合有极为密切的关系。克新1号接种当地的类病毒弱系时薯块严重畸变,商品产量只为不接种对照的21%。用往复电泳法检测各个试验处理被类病毒侵柴的情况,芽接种处理,于出苗后1周即可检测到类病毒,叶接种处理,于接种后2周即能检测到类病毒。出苗后7周,植株中类病毒浓度达到高峰,随即急剧下降,到出苗后10周,大部分接种植株已检测不到类病毒。块茎直径达1厘米时,即能检测到类病毒,随着块茎膨大,类病毒浓度也相应增高,到收获前,块茎中的类病毒含量只略低于植株含类病毒高峰期的浓度。用于本试验的克新1号、4号无类病毒和主要马铃薯病毒的核心材料,在1988年已交付给省内外的良种场繁殖使用。于当年秋季抽样检测克山第二良种场连续种植二年的种薯,当年种植试管苗生产的种薯,以及试管苗等,均未检测到类病毒。     

Performance of true potato seed families. 1. Effect of level of inbreeding

Summary Successive generations of open pollinated (OP) true potato seed (TPS) families represent a low-cost planting material. This study was conducted to determine whether inbreeding occurred during two successive OP generations and, if so, whether it adversely affected the performance of transplant families from true seed. Potato seedling transplants from 4x×2x hybrid, OP₁, OP₂, S₁ and S₂ families were compared for plant vigour, flowering, pollen stainability, OP fruit set, tuber yield and specific gravity. Hybrids were consistently superior, while S₂ families were inferior. The performance of OP₁, OP₂ and S₁ families did not differ significantly for most traits. The accumulation of inbreeding in successive OP generations was limited by reduced OP seed production on selfed plants; thus, a synthetic TPS variety propagated by open pollination may be feasible. Paper no. 3162 from the Department of Genetics, University of Madison.     

Detection,distribution and long-term persistence of potato spindle tuber viroid in true potato seed from heilongjiang,China

Return-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (R-PAGE) and tomato bioassay followed by R-PAGE were compared for the detection of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) from individual true potato seed (TPS). Both methods detected PSTVd from single TPS. TPS extract formulated as sap or nucleic acids in two different buffers did not affect the percentage of viroid detection on tomato plants. There was some evidence of viroid inhibitor in TPS extracts but not in nucleic acid extracts of TPS. Because R-PAGE is more rapid than the tomato bioassay followed by R-PAGE, the former was used to determine the extent of PSTVd in TPS of China’s Keshan Potato Research Institute breeding material. Over 1700 individual TPS were tested. Twenty-four of the 46 seedlots tested (inbred and outcrossed) contained PSTVd. The viroid was detected in 70% of lots from inbred lines compared to 38% of lots from outcrosses. TPS (20 lots) stored in paper bags at room temperature as far back as 1965 were also tested, and PSTVd was detected in TPS stored for 21 years.     

Performance of true potato seed families. 2. Comparison of transplants vs. seedling tubers

Summary A potato crop can be grown from true potato seed (TPS) either by transplanting seedlings to the field (seedling transplants) or by planting tubers derived from seedlings (seedling tubers). The effect of the planting method on performance of TPS families was evaluated for three types of families, 4x×2x hybrid, open pollinated, and self pollinated. Families from seedling transplants and seedling tubers and their 4x parental clones were compared for tuber yield and specific gravity. Families from tubers had substantially higher yields and significantly more uniform specific gravity than families from transplants. Hybrid seedling tuber families had a higher mean yield than the parental clones and did not differ from them in specific gravity. Selection in the seedling generation could further improve both OP and hybrid families from transplants and from seedling tubers. Paper no. 3163 from the Department of Genetics, University of Madison.     

An enhanced multiplication of potato virus X is not related to a synergistic reaction between the potato viruses X and Y

Summary Greenhouse experiments demonstrated a differential interaction between potato viruses X and Y in two potato cultivars. Enhancement of PVX synthesis in doubly infected plants occurred only in the PVY-susceptible potato cv. Ulla, whereas PVX multiplication was almost completely inhibited in the doubly infected PVY-resistant cv. Franzi. However, a synergistic effect was also evident in the latter cultivar in the form of a growth inhibition of the plants. An increased multiplication of one or both of the viruses is, therefore, not related to a synergistic reaction.     

The identification and evaluation of hybrid plants among open pollinated tkue seed families

An increase in the proportion ofhybrid vs. selfed plants improves the performance ofopen pollinated (OP) true potato seed (TPS) families. Strategies to increase the proportion ofhybrid seeds were investigated. A marker gene for yellow tuber flesh in a diploid clone, interplanted as the male parent, permitted identification of 4x × 2x hybrids among the OP progeny. Only 5% of the OP progeny were 4x × 2x hybrids. The proportion of 4x × 2x hybrid plants among the OP progeny was increased when the female parent had low male fertility and when only the largest 25% of the seeds were planted. The hybrid 4x × 2x plants were superior for all traits evaluated on the OP seedling transplant families. Traits included vigor, flowering, pollen stainability, OP fruit set, and tuber yield. Effects of the female parent were significant only for vigor and flowering, while seed size did not affect values for any trait consistently: With the limited outcrossing observed, the low seed set obtained when using parents with low male fertility and the work involved in selecting the largest seeds within individual fruits were not justifiable. However, research with OP true seed families asa low cost planting material should be continued, since high yielding OP families have been identified.     

Engineering needs for potato production from true seed

Potatoes grown from true potato seed (TPS) are generally small and nonuniform in size and shape, compared to the ones produced conventionally from seed tubers. Potato production from TPS would be considerably less expensive than from seed tubers because of the negligible storage and handling costs of the TPS. Potato production from TPS would therefore have the greatest potential in the developing countries. In developed countries, this production method would have some potential in commercial production as well as in home gardening. Research related to the TPS potato production has been mostly directed toward investigating suitable cultural practices, screening breeding lines for higher yield and warm climate adaptability, weed control in the field, and other similar production areas. Research concerning mechanization of TPS potato production has been limited. Engineering input to the TPS potato production, handling and storage needs considerable attention to develop practical and economical practices. This paper highlights some research areas which the authors believe are worth investigating. Engineering research that is conducted at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station related to the TPS potato production has been outlined along with future plans.     

Field infection of potato by the Solanum apical leaf curling virus (SALCV)

Potato plants grown from true seed were naturally infected with the Solanum apical leaf curling virus (SALCV) at the high jungle site near San Ramon, Peru. Tubers from these plants were greenhouse indexed. Symptoms of SALCV infected potato plants include apical rolling, stunting, delayed emergence, weak plants, hair sprouts, and tuber dormancy. These symptoms superficially resemble certain aspects of unusually severe current season potato leafroll virus (4) infection or those of the aster yellows and stolbur mycoplasma diseases (5). Up to 12 percent of the indexed plants were naturally infected with SALCV and SALCV was demonstrated in approximately half of the tubers that produced hair sprouts.     

True potato seed in China: Past,present and future

China has gained recognition for its pioneer work on true potato seed (Song Bofu, 1984,Liand Shen, 1979). The history of true potato seed (TPS) in China dates back to 1959 when research was started. Now numerous countries around the world are developing TPS technology (Hoang, et al., 1986; CIP, 1984). These countries could gain much from the experience of China. This report attempts to summarize past experience, describes the present status with particular reference to farmers’ opinions, and outlines briefly the future of TPS.     

The effect of metribuzin interaction with potato viruses X and Y on potato foliage,yield and grade

Foliar treatment of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) with metribuzin at 0.57–1.0 lb/A caused a necrotic reaction in leaflets of plants infected with potato virus Y (PVY), but not in plants infected with potato virus X (PVX) or potato leafroll virus. Necrosis symptoms resulting from metribuzin-PVY interaction were distinct from symptoms of either PVY infection or of metribuzin injury. This reaction was similar in the Russet Burbank, Lemhi Russet, and Pioneer cultivars. Russet Burbank infected with PVY and PVX, alone or in combination, was treated with metribuzin to study herbicidevirus interaction effects on yield. Secondary PVY infection alone caused a 57% yield reduction, and when combined with PVX caused a 71% yield reduction. Although leaflet necrosis was induced by the metribuzin-PVY combination, there was no significant yield interaction. Results suggest that post-emergence application of metribuzin can be used as an aid for detecting and removing potato virus Y infected plants from potato seed fields     

Pollen fertility in relation to open pollinated true seed production in potatoes

The cost and difficulty of producing hybrid true potato seed (TPS) currently limits their use for commercial production. Twelve clones, selected in preliminary trials for low pollen stainability but high fruit and seed set, initially seemed promising for inexpensive production of mostly hybrid open-pollinated (OP) TPS. However, in subsequent tests, pollen stainability of these clones appeared to be highly variable and fruit and seed set were not as high. Bumblebees favored the most fertile clones, especially during periods when pollen stainability was the highest. Amounts of OP fruit and seed set correlated with maximum observed pollen stainability levels of the clones. Most of the OP seeds produced by these clones were probably the result of self-pollination; therefore, other methods must be used to obtain hybrid TPS.     

Relative prevalence of mild and severe strains of potato spindle tuber virus in eastern Canada

In 1969, 355 leaf or tuber samples from potatoes suspected of harboring the potato spindle tuber virus were collected from 23 tablestock fields in eastern Canada. By means of Fernow's tomato cross protection test, modified by the use of ribonucleic acid extract as inoculum, 317 samples were shown to be infected, 290 (92%) of these with a mild strain, and 27 (8%) with a severe strain of the virus. Preliminary tests in the greenhouse and field indicate that the mild strain, so named because of symptoms on tomato, is relatively mild in the potato as well.     

Detection of potato spindle tuber viroid by nucleic acid spot hybridization: Evaluation with tuber sprouts and true potato seed

A diagnostic test for the potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV) that is based on hybridization of highly radioactive, recombinant DNA complementary to PSTV with PSTV bound to a nitrocellulose membrane and autoradiographic detection of the resulting DNA-RNA hybrids has been evaluated with tubers from 20 potato clones maintained at the International Potato Center (CIP) and with true seed obtained from healthy or PSTV-infected potato plants. The nucleic acid spot hybridization test detected PSTV not only in tuber sprouts from 10 clones that had previously tested positive in polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic (PAGE) analysis, but also in tuber sprouts from 9 clones that had previously tested negative in PAGE analysis. Further tests confirmed the presence of PSTV in these clones. The spot hybridization test detected PSTV in mixtures of seed extracts equivalent to as few as one seed from a PSTV-infected plant and 80 seeds from healthy plants. The spot hybridization test was shown to be more sensitive and reliable than PAGE analysis; it is suitable for the testing of large numbers of samples with a minimum expenditure of labor and materials.     

Seed transmission of potato spindle tuber virus

Seed transmission of potato spindle tuber virus (PSTV) has special significance for potato breeding programs. Transmission of PSTV has been reported to occur via true seed. Test families in the Frito-Lay breeding program were obtained from self- and cross-pollinations to determine the incidence of infected seedlings from healthy and diseased parents. Diseased seedlings from PSTV-infected Katahdin selfed were scored by visual and tomato index procedures as 100% and 87% infected, respectively. A similar result was obtained among seedlings from the cross of PSTV-infected Sebago x PSTV-infected Katahdin. Symptoms of PSTV infection were not detected by either method among seedlings from healthy Katahdin, selfed. The Frito-Lay, Inc., potato breeding program employs a number of phyto-sanitary procedures to exclude or reduce the possibility of PSTV contamination and spread.     

Production and use of seedling tubers from true potato seed (TPS) for potato cultivation in Italy

Summary The effect of varying plant population on the production of tubers from potato seedlings was investigated during 1992 and 1993 using three different plant densities: 35, 70, 100 plants/m². Increasing the plant population significantly increased the number of tubers produced, but no significant difference was found between the plant densities of 70 and 100 plants/m². The seedling tubers produced in nursery beds were tested in the field for ware potato production using different sized tubers. The best performances were obtained using tubers 30–40 mm. Significant differences were evident among the 7 true potato seed (TPS) families used, but data grouped by type of cross did not indicate any significant difference between 4X×4X and 4X×2X crossing groups.     

Effects of plant density on the yield and yield components of true potato seed (TPS) hybrids in early and main crop potato production systems

This study was conducted to evaluate true potato seed (TPS) technology for use in ware or seed potato production in two contrasting environments in Turkey during 2002 and 2003. The field experiments were carried out in the Hatay and Nevsehir provinces in Turkey, which represent a Mediterranean early crop potato production area and a temperate main crop potato production area, respectively. The plug seedlings of six TPS hybrids were transplanted to the fields at four densities (15, 20, 25 or 30 plants m⁻²). The seed tubers of the medium early cultivar Marfona were also planted in the experimental plots to compare the performance of the TPS hybrids with traditional seed tubers. Transplanting of the seedlings was significantly delayed in Hatay due to unsuitable weather conditions in both years. The seedlings needed an adaptation period of 2–4 weeks after transplanting depending on the location and the growing conditions. The adaptation period was longer in Hatay due to high air temperatures after transplanting. Although the yield performance of the TPS hybrids differed depending on the location and year, the TPS hybrids produced noticeably higher total tuber yields in Nevsehir location (ranging from 43.1 to 62.5 t ha⁻¹ in 2002 and from 39.5 to 50.6 t ha⁻¹ in 2003) than in Hatay (ranging from 15.3 to 19.6 t ha⁻¹ in 2002 and from 15.1 to 19.1 t ha⁻¹ in 2003). The percentage of marketable tubers (>28 mm) was also considerably higher in Nevsehir. The optimal plant density varied between 25 and 30 plants m⁻² with regard to the total yield, while the optimal density with regard to the marketable yield was 20 or 25 plants m⁻² depending on hybrids in Nevsehir. However, none of the tested plant densities caused competition between plants in Hatay, where the environmental conditions during the growing period considerably restricted the growth of individual TPS seedlings.It was concluded that transplanting of TPS seedlings can be considered a feasible alternative for ware or seed potato production in temperate environments like Nevsehir that have growing periods of at least 4 months. However, there are several obstacles, such as difficulties with the timing of transplanting, long adaptation period that threaten the practicability of TPS technology in Mediterranean-type environments. Further agronomical studies focused on reducing inter- and intra-plant competition are needed for both environments in order to improve the acceptability of TPS technology to farmers.     

An efficient potato pollen extractor for bulk pollen collection

Commercial quantities of hybrid TPS production require bulk collection of pollen from male lines. Current usage of a buzzer system by the potato workers has proved inefficient needing frequent repairs with continuous usage. Described is a modified device utilizing battery operated portable stirrer that allows more efficient extraction of potato pollen in large quantities without the disadvantages of a buzzer system.