Inter-stem and inter-tuber competition in potatoes

Summary Seed pieces of varying size and bearing different numbers of uniform growing sprouts were planted in specific combinations. Sequential harvests were made and the growth of the plants followed. There appeared to be competition between emerging sprouts for nutrients and water from the soil. This competition influenced the number of stems produced per sprout and the size attained by these stems. There was no effect of size of the seed piece on the apparent time to tuber initiation. A constant number of tubers were formed per stem despite large variations in stem size, but the final weight of tubers per stem was lower the greater the number of stems per hill. The number of tubers larger than 2| inches (5.7 cm) remained constant over the whole range of stem numbers per hill and the mean weights of tubers in the two size categories larger than 1| inches (3.2 cm) remained constant after the second harvest. These results suggest that only a few of the tubers in each hill were growing rapidly at any one time. There was no effect of cutting the seed tubers on any aspect of the growth of potatoes that was measured which could not be attributed to an effect on either the size of the seed piece or on the number of sprouts per seed piece.     

Beziehungen zwischen Stengel- und Knollenzahl bei Kartoffeln in Abhängigkeit von Wachstumsregulatoren

Zusammenfassung In dreij?hrigen Feldversuchen führte eine Behandlung der Pflanzknollen mit vier Wachstumsregulatoren zu einer signifikanten Erh?hung der Stengel- und Knollenzahl pro Pflanze sowie einer Verminderung der Knollenzahl pro Stengel. Die durch die Behandlung erzielte signifikante Erh?hung des Pflanzgutertrages war jahres- und sortenabh?ngig. Eine hohe Effektivit?t der Behandlung ist nur zu erwarten, wenn die Erh?hung der Stengelzahl nicht zu einer sorten- oder jahresbedingten starken Verminderung der Knollenzahl pro Stengel führt.

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Summary Growth regulators (K350, GA₃, Azoluron and thiourea) were applied in a three-year field experiment to tubers of four large-tubered cultivars of different maturities (‘Arkula’, ‘Auralia’, ‘Dorisa’ and ‘Libana’). They produced significant increases in the numbers of stems and tubers per plant and a decrease in the number of tubers per stem. Only the most effective preparations increased the yield of seed and decreased overall yield, averaged over cultivar and year. Positive correlations between numbers of stems and tubers per plant contrasted with the negative correlation between the number of stems and number of tubers per stem (Fig. 1). The preparations ranked in effectiveness as follows: K350>GA₃>thiourea>Azoluron, and this was reflected in the number of stems and tubers per plant (Table 2). Increases in number of stems resulting from treatment with the regulators effectively increased the yield of seed, but only if the increases were not accompanied by strong year or cultivar related reductions in the number of tubers per stem caused by inter-stem competition (Tables 3 and 4).

     

The effect of some environmental factors on potato tuber numbers

Summary Five experiments studied the effects of shading, temperature and stolon growth medium on stolon and tuber formation. The lowest numbers of stolons and tubers were produced at the higher and lower nodes. Numbers of primary stolons and tubers were relatively stable across nodes and treatments and variation in total numbers was largely due to changes in numbers of lateral and branch stolons. In the field, 70% shading reduced numbers of stolons and tubers by reducing lateral and branch stolons, while in hydroponics, 45% shading and temperatures at initiation had no effect on tuber numbers. In both environments later planting tended to reduce numbers of stolons and tubers. There were large effects of the physical environment, with compost producing three times as many tubers as dry vermiculite. The potential number of tubers may be determined by the number of stolons and the environmental conditions affecting stolon formation and development.     

Effect of weight of potato minitubers on sprout growth,emergence and plant characteristics at emergence

Summary The behaviour of minitubers in five weight classes, having mid-point values between 0.19 and 3.00 g, was studied during sprouting and emergence under controlled conditions. Lighter tubers took longer to produce sprouts of 2 mm, and their sprouts grew more slowly between 2 and 4 mm and 4 and 6 mm. As sprouts lengthened their rate of growth increased. The influence of tuber weight was less for heavier tubers and also decreased as the sprouts grew longer. When tubers with sprouts of the same length were planted in pots, sprouts from lighter tubers took longer to emerge. Emergence was later and differences between weight classes were larger when tubers were planted deeper (6 or 9 cm) or when they had shorter sprouts at planting (2 or 4 mm). At emergence, plants from lighter tubers had thinner stems and lower stem and root weights, but higher stem weights proportional to tuber weights and higher shoot:root ratios.     

Cultivar Effects on the Interaction between Free-Living Plant-Parasitic Nematodes and the Fungal Pathogen <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizoctonia solani</Emphasis> in Potato

Crop damage is associated with infection by plant pathogens but can also arise through abiotic factors. However, the plant pathogens are involved in biotic interactions with other plant pathogens, and these interactions may differ depending of the cultivar of the crop. Here, the interaction between the fungus Rhizoctonia solani (AG3) and free-living plant-parasitic nematodes was investigated in a pot experiment with different potato cultivars. No synergistic interaction between R. solani and plant-parasitic nematodes was found, instead there was an effect of treatment with lower tuber yield when nematodes occurred alone. There were differences among the cultivars regarding incidence of black scurf, dry weight of stems and tubers, and there was interactive effects between treatment and cultivar regarding dry weight of stolons and roots. Therefore, results concerning incidence and damage of R. solani and/or plant-parasitic nematodes found for one cultivar may not be applicable to other cultivars.     

Penetration of potato tuber lenticels by bacteria in relation to biological control of blackleg disease

Summary In a glasshouse experiment three potato cultivars were grown to maturity in wet or dry compost. The number of lenticels per tuber was greater with larger tubers but was unaffected by the cultivar or soil moisture regime. The frequency of lenticel penetration by a water soluble stain, safranin O, remained high as tubers developed to maturity in wet soil. In dry soil penetration declined markedly as the tubers matured. When tubers, harvested just before the onset of haulm senescence, were inoculated withErwinia carotovora ssp.atroseptica, the frequency of lenticel rotting was less than the rate of stain penetration, indicating that additional factors were involved in the bacterial infection process. Inoculating mature tubers with bacteria and incubating them in anaerobic conditions frequently resulted in rotting of the lenticels. Comparable tubers incubated in aerobic conditions showed no rotting or invasion by bacteria. The results are discussed in relation to the biological control of blackleg.     

Beziehungen zwischen Stengel- und Knollenzahl bei der Kartoffel in Abhängigkeit von wichtigen Einflußfaktoren. I. Der Einfluß der Pflanzgutvorbehandlung und der Sorte

Zusammenfassung Die Pflanzgutvorbehandlung beeinflu?te die Stengelzahl signifikant. Abgekeimtes Pflanzgut der Sorten ‘Adretta’ und ‘Mariella’ entwickelte weniger Stengel und Knollen pro Pflanze jedoch mehr Knollen pro Stengel als vorgekeimtes und keimgestimmtes Pflanzgut. Die st?rker negativen Korrelationen zwischen Stengelzahl pro Pflanze und Knollenzahl pro Stengel sowie die h?here Reduktionsrate der angelegten Knollen bei der Sorte ‘Adretta’ weisen auf Sortenunterschiede in der Sch?rfe der Konkurrenz zwischen den Stengeln und innerhalb der Knollenanlagen eines Stengels hin. Die Ernteknollenzahl wurde bei ‘Mariella’ wesentlich durch die Zahl der Knollenanlagen, bei ‘Adretta’ hingegen st?rker durch die Reduktionsrate bestimmt.

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Summary Three different seed treatments and two cultivars were studied over seven years of field experiments (Table 1). Differences were detected between the cultivars in all characteristics studied: numbers of stems, maximum number of tubers (tuber initials), the number of harvestable tubers (>3 cm) at maturity per plant and per stem, and tuber reduction (percentage of initiated tubers that did not develop). Apart from the number of harvestable tubers, there were also differences between seed treatments (Tables 2, 3 and 4). Chitted seed of ‘Mariella’ and sprouted seed of ‘Adretta’ gave the greatest number of tubers per plant (Tables 3 and 4). In both cases desprouting reduced the numbers of stems and tubers per plant but increased the number of harvestable tubers per stem. Chitted seed set the most tubers per plant and per stem but had the highest levels of tuber reduction (Table 4). Due to intra- and inter-stem competition in both cultivars the percentage tuber reduction is significantly correlated with the number of tuber initials (maximum tuber number, Table 5). Smaller numbers of tubers per stem (Table 3) and significantly negative correlations between the number of stems and the maximum and harvestable number of tubers per stem (Table 5) highlight the effect of strong inter-stem competition in ‘Adretta’. Moreover, in this cultivar intra-stem competition seems to play an important role too. The rate of tuber reduction was significantly higher than in ‘Mariella’ (Table 3), and the final number of tubers significantly depended on the percentage of tuber reduction during the period of tuber growth (r=0,57^*, Table 5). In contrast, the number of harvestable tubers per plant in ‘Mariella’ was significantly correlated with the maximum tuber number during the period of tuber set (r=0,61^*, Table 5).

     

The effect of early drought stress on numbers of tubers and stolons of potato in controlled and field conditions

Summary Potatoes were grown in plots, pots or containers in a glasshouse or under a rainshelter. Water was withheld from emergence onward or from tuber initiation onward in some treatments. The number of stolons per stem was greatly reduced but the number of tubers + tuber initials per stolon remained unchanged (cv. Radosa) or increased (cv. Bintje) as a result of the earliest drought treatment. The later dry period did not affect numbers of stolons and tubers (+ initials). These findings correspond well with data from field trials which were sampled for 13 consecutive years and which showed a highly significant linear relationship between the number of tubers per stem and total rainfall during the first 40 days after planting, which ranged from 17.5 to 120 mm.     

脱毒马铃薯扩繁技术初探

本试验以早熟品种东农３０３、中熟品种系薯１号和晚熟品种晋薯７号为试验材料，采用Ｌ１２（４×３￣２）正交试验法，分室内和室外两组同时进行试验，结果表明，出芽天数随着温度的上升而减少；大薯块出芽数极显著高于中小薯块；出芽数则随着掰芽次数的增加而减少；系薯１号的出芽数明显高于晋薯７号，与东农３０３差异不显著．产量结果表明，主因素为品种；其次为薯块大小；掰芽次数间差异不显著；母薯则极显著高于掰芽次数．综合结果分析，脱毒马铃薯掰芽扩繁是一项节省种薯，提高繁殖系数的有效措施；以选择适宜当地种植的高产高效和大薯块掰芽为好；三次掰芽扩繁移栽和母薯直播是可行的马铃薯扩繁技术措施．     

Production of above-ground seed tubers on stem cuttings from eight potato cultivars

Summary The formation of above-ground tubers on stem cuttings of eight potato cultivars was studied over three seasons. To promote tuber formation in the leaf axils, stems grown from single node cuttings were exposed to short day conditions. Tuber formation underground was reduced by covering the soil with a plastic sheet and by using single node cuttings planted with the leaf axils several centimetres above the soil surface. With all cultivars except Alpha, which produced mis-shapen tubers in all experiments, an average of 11 (maximum 40) tubers per cutting were harvested. Significant cultivar × year interactions were observed.     

Improving the field performance of micro-and minitubers

Summary In many seed potato producing areas, micro- and minitubers are too small for direct planting as seed tubers in the field. Such use of these propagules can, however, be feasible if the crop's growth and development can be advanced. Increasing light interception, harvest index and yield of useable progeny tubers has been proved possible with plastic mulch and pre-planting of small tubers in a greenhouse. High amounts of nitrogen (up to 180 kg ha⁻¹) or deep planting (up to 9 cm) were less effective. Using older or pre-sprouted micro- or minitubers may be beneficial, because this might increase the number of sprouts per mother tuber (and thus stems per plant) or advance the growth of sprouts or stems. However, this would require even more careful management, due to the weakness of these sprouts and stems. Micro- and minitubers should be as large as feasible when used for direct planting in the field.     

The susceptibility of potato cultivars to gangrene in laboratory tests in relation to origin of tubers,damage, method of inoculation and test centre

Summary Undamaged and damaged tubers of 10 cultivars were inoculated withPhoma foveata by two methods at five test centres over three years. Damaging tubers before inoculation increased the discrimination between cultivars. While this increase was small with tubers rolled in cornmealsand cultures, it was often substantial with those dipped in a suspension of comminuted agar cultures. Correlations between centres for the four tests were significant (P<0.05) and were highest for tubers inoculated with cornmeal-sand with or without damage. The gangrene scores of the cultivars in the four tests were correlated (P<0.05) with their field susceptibility ratings but there was a strong interaction between cultivar reaction and year of test. When tubers grown in Cumbria and Midlothian were tested at one centre over two years, the gangrene scores were also correlated (P<0.05).     

Sequential Path Analysis of Yield Components in Potato

In order to determine proper selection criteria for tuber yield in potato clones obtained from true potato seed (TPS) and to evaluate relationships between tuber yield and its components, an investigation was conducted using the five check cultivars Agria, Marfona, Draga, Agata, and Arinda, and 120 potato clones obtained from TPS. The study was conducted in an augmented randomized complete block design with three replications. Yield and its components were recorded. Correlation coefficient analysis showed that tuber yield had significant positive associations with number of tubers per plant, average weight per tuber (tuber size), plant height, diameter of main stem, and number of main and secondary stems per plant, whereas its correlation with tuber dry-matter concentration was significantly negative. Number of tubers per plant, tuber size, and plant height had significant standardized partial regression coefficients with very small tolerance and large variance inflation factor (VIF) values. These were considered as the first-order variables in sequential path analysis.     

Einfluss der physiologischen Alterung bei Pflanzknollen verschiedener Sorten auf Wachstumcharakteristika im Laborversuch

Zusammenfassung Die Wachstumskapazit?t (GC=g Spross- plus Wurzelmasse pro Knolle nach 20 Tagen bei 22°C) beschreibt im Verlauf der physiologischen Alterung eine Optimumskurve. Das Maximum der Wurzelmasse wurde in der Regel früher durchlaufen als das Maximum der Spross- bzw. Gesamtmasse. In 2 Jahren konnten Sortenunterschiede für die Alterungsrate in der Lage des Optimums der GC auf der physiologischen Zeitachse, in der Breite des optimalen Bereiches der GC und in der H?he der GC direkt nach der Beendigung der Dormanz festgestellt werden.

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Summary The following test was carried out in two years: during physiological ageing, samples of 15 tubers of each of eight cultivars were desprouted, planted into a mixture of compost and peat, and placed in darkness at a temperature of 22°C. Averaged over cultivars, the number and length of sprouts increased with increasing physiological age of the seed tubers until a maximum was reached. Beyond this, a slight decline in the number of sprouts was observed (Fig. 1a,b). With advanced physiological age, the diameter (Fig. 1c) and dry-matter content (Fig. 1d) of the sprouts decreased. However, these characteristics could not be used to monitor differences in the rate of physiological ageing between the potato cultivars. The growth capacity (GC=sprout and root mass) (g) per tuber after 20 days at 22°C) showed an optimum in the course of physiological ageing (Fig. 3). Root mass reached optimum levels earlier than sprout mass (Fig. 2) and in most cases also earlier than the total mass (Fig. 3). Despite year-to-year variation cultivar differences in the rate of ageing could be noted from the timing of the GC optima (based on temperature sum), from the maximum values of GC and from the GC values immediately after the end of dormancy. For three pairs of cultivars the differences in rate of physiological ageing—as observed in field trials—were confirmed by differences in growth capacity in the laboratory tests (Figs. 2, 3a, 3c). For one pair of cultivars the laboratory test did not predict the different behaviour in the field (Fig. 3b).

     

Stem thinning in potato as a pre-selection index

Using the potato seedling B7906-1, stem thinning was carried out on plants having three, four, or five stems per hill. Treatments ranged from intact plants to those thinned by one, two, or three stems each. Data on the effect of stem thinning on yield and other vegetative parameters were analysed using an analysis of variance. Unlike leaf parameters, stem height and number of stolons per plant generally decreased with an increase in stem thinning. Within a control group, represented by the intact plants having the three stem densities used for treatments, the degree of association among different vegetative parameters and the measure of their contribution towards yield were determined by correlation and path coefficient analyses, respectively. Given the effect of number on weight of tubers per plant, the assessment of yield as affected by stem density treatments was confined to the former parameter. Among all parameters, number of stolons per plant was the most effective contributor to number of tubers harvested. The decrease in that parameter as a result of stem thinning, however, was not accompanied by a corresponding decrease in tuber number. The following relationship could be discerned: as number of stolons per plant decreased several stem parameters increased. Based on correlation and path analyses, it is suggested that the induced increase in number of compound leaves per stem could have compensated, directly or indirectly, for the adverse effect of stolon number on yield. Through stem density manipulation, the yield output of a variety in response to quantitatively induced, more diverse, vegetative characteristics could be evaluated.     

Periderm and lenticel characterization in relation to potato cultivar, soil moisture and tuber maturity

Summary Using the fluorescent lipid stain fluorol yellow 088 to detect suberin in tubers, the numbers of layers and the thickness of the suberized cells in the periderm and within the lenticels showed changes after the early stage of tuber formation. These changes as tubers matured were affected by cultivar and soil moisture conditions. Penetration of the surface tissues of tubers by the water soluble stain safranin O was confined to the lenticles. Although the zone of suberized cells in lenticels acted to some extent as a barrier to penetration, there was not a clear relationship between permeability and suberization. Stored tubers showed thicker suberin berriers in lenticels than freshly harvested tubers. When lenticels of stored tubers proliferated the suberin barrier was disrupted but a further thick suberin barrier formed after exposure to air for two weeks. The findings are discussed in relation to biological control ofErwinia by antagonistic bacteria.     

The effect of harvest date and tuber-borne sclerotia on the severity ofRhizoctonia disease of potato

Experiments performed in 1976 and 1977 examined the effect of harvest date on the development of tuber-borne sclerotia and the effect of these sclerotia onRhizoctonia disease severity of potato. Results from tubers harvested at seven weekly intervals in 1975 indicate maximum sclerotial development occurred 3–4 weeks after vine killing. When these tubers were planted the following year, few differences occurred in disease severity of stems and stolons with respect to prior harvest date. However, the tubers which had remained in the ground 4–7 weeks after vine killing in 1975 produced the largest and greatest number of sclerotia on progeny tubers harvested in 1976. Experiments in 1976 and 1977 demonstrated that tubers with approximately 20% sclerotial coverage produced stems and stolons with significantly more severeRhizoctonia disease compared to tubers with no visible sclerotia. Sclerotial coverage on tubers of less than 20% did not significantly increase disease severity.     

Variation of Growth and Disease Characters Between Clones of Potato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum tuberosum</Emphasis> L.)

The occurrence and magnitude of variation of selected characters in clones derived from meristem tips of four potato cultivars in field trials in three countries was assessed. Recorded were: the number of plants per plot; maturity of plants; skin and flesh colour; tuber deformity; time of emergence; flowering; number of stems and tubers per plant; tuber size, yield and dry matter percentage; and the occurrence of common scab. Far more significant differences between clones than could be expected by chance were found for the last eight characters. Most of the significant differences for number of stems per plant, number of tubers, yield and tuber size distribution were found in six clones of three cultivars and were repeated at different locations and in different years. It is concluded that significant clone differences exist and are repeated at independent locations over the years.     

Manipulation of tuber-size distribution of a potato crop

Summary Tuber-size distribution is regulated by many diverse, interacting mechanisms and is therefore difficult to understand and manipulate. It is determined by plant density, number of stems per plant, number of tubers per stem, and yield. Seed size and plant number per unit area are easy to control, but stem number is affected by less controllable factors. Interactions between stems of different types are important for tuber-size distribution. The hormonal regulation of stolonization and tuberization is still unknown, but under the conditions of north-west Europe the process of tuber set (which is also poorly understood) makes a greater contribution to the final number of tubers than tuberization. The total yield is also relevant, because it affects both the average tuber size and its variation. Tubers on the same stem differ in timing, rate and duration of growth. The resulting hierarchy in sink strength is not consistent over time. Several mechanisms are suggested for this hierarchy.     

Comparison of the growth of potato crops grown in autumn and spring in North Africa

Summary The relationships between intercepted solar radiation and dry matter production (total and tubers) were established for four cultivars of different maturity classes and using seed tubers of two physiological ages. The crops were grown in an autumn and a spring season in Tunisia. Radiation use efficiencies were lower in autumn than in spring and the quantity of intercepted radiation at tuber initiation was more than two times greater in autumn than in spring due to retarded tuberization in the autumn caused by the relatively high temperatures. In addition, tuber dry matter, number of stems per plant, tubers per stem and harvest indices were all lower in the autumn than in the spring season which explained why tuber yields in the spring season were higher than in the autumn.