Control of the Colorado potato beetle by treatment of potato seed pieces

Dusting or soaking freshly cut potato seed pieces in systemic insecticides controlled the first generation larvae of the Colorado potato beetle at Yakima, Washington in 1970. The most promising materials were tested again in a larger experiment in 1971. Fifty days after treatment, Bay 37344 (4-(methylthio)-3,5,xylyl methylcarbamate), Dasanit^® (O,O-diethyl-O-[p-(methylsulfinyl) phenyl] phosphorothioate), Shell SD 17250 (N-(methylcarbamoyl)oxy]thioacetimidic acid ester with 3-mercaptopropionitrile) and Plant Protection PP062 (dimethylamino)-4,5,6-dimethyl pyrimidinyl dimethylcarbamate) all gave significantly better control of the larvae than methomyl, azinphosmethyl and menazon.     

Wound healing,decay and chemical treatment of cut potato tuber tissue

Potato tuber tissue inoculated at cutting withFusarium spp. orErwinia carotovora and exposed to conditions favorable for infection did not heal rapidly enough to prevent decay. Seven days of wound healing at 20 C and high relative humidity prior to inoculation were necessary to provide protection againstFusarium and two days were required to protect againstErwinia. Histological examination of cut and chemically treated tuber tissue revealed that the wound healing process was only minimally affected by mancozeb, zineb-streptomycin, zineb-fir bark, captan, captan-mertect, captan-fir bark, and sodium hypochlorite. Ethylmercury p-toluene-sulfonanalide and pyrrolidine induced formation of discontinuous wound periderm after 21 days of healing. Streptomycin and captan-rhodamine had very detrimental effects on wound healing and suberin formation. In general, the seed-piece treatment chemicals tested had only minor effects on normal wound healing. It is concluded that wound healing alone may not be sufficient to controlFusarium caused seed piece decay and chemical treatment is recommended to provide protection until wound healing can occur. At least two days of wound healing are required for control of decay caused byErwinia carotovora.     

Seed quality as affected by nitrogen during true potato seed production and moisture conditions during storage

The objective was to investigate the effects of moisture conditions in storage at 21 C (± 3) on true potato seed (TPS) germination and seedling vigor. The influence of supplemental nitrogen (N) during seed production on these effects was also studied. One set of TPS was stored exposed to ambient humid (> 80% RH) air; the other was stored dry (sealed with silica gel). Germination tests were performed at 7, 11, and 14 months of seed storage. Seedling vigor tests were made at 14, 20, and 23 months. The rate of germination was mostly affected by the moisture conditions during storage. Seed stored dry germinated faster than TPS stored in humid ambient air. The rate of germination increased with time in storage and the percentage of germination was always high (≥ 95%) in dry seed produced with high N. Seedling vigor was mostly affected by N treatments during seed production. High-N seed had a much higher rate and percentage of emergence and seedling dry-weight levels than low-N seed, particularly when stored dry. Seedling vigor criteria decreased with time in storage in low-N seed; in high-N seed, the rate of emergence increased and the percentage of emergence was always high (≥ 95%). In conclusion, the TPS should be produced with high N and stored dry for sowing under unfavorable conditions.     

Influence of Colorado potato beetle sample counts and plant defoliation on potato tuber production

Field experiments were designed to subject Superior potato plants to various levels of defoliation by the Colorado potato beetle (CPB)Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae. Defoliation occurred during each of five consecutive plant growth periods and CPB population, plant leaf area, and tuber weight data were recorded for each period. A visual defoliation rating scheme provided an accurate estimate of actual potato plant leaf area of defoliated plants. Data generated from regression analysis demonstrated a significant dependence of leaf area on CPB numbers per plant during some plant growth periods, but numbers of CPB accounted for very little of the total variation in tuber weight. Plant leaf area was the most important independent variable in the tuber weight regression model.     

The effect of five growth regulators on apical dominance in potato seed tubers and on subsequent tuber production

Summary Of five growth regulators applied to seed tubers in January when sprout growth had just started, only gibberellic acid (GA) materially affected apical dominance or subsequent development. GA increased the number of sprouts by one third and induced the production of many stolon-like branches. After planting, the number of main stems was greater with GA, as was the number of branch stems and tubers; total yield was not affected, but the yield of seed-sized tubers was increased by up to 70%.

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Zusammenfassung Frühere Arbeiten über den Einfluss der Keimbildung zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten deuteten an, dass eine Kombination von früher Keimildung und Verminderung der apikalen Dominanz notwendig ist, um die Knollenzahl pro Pflanzstelle zu erh?hen. Es wurde ein Versuch gemacht, die apikale Dominanz zu verringern, indem Pflanzkartoffeln im Januar unmittelbar nach Beginn des Keimwachstums mit fünf Wachstumsregulatoren in je drei Konzentrationen behandelt wurden. Die Einzelheiten der Verfahren sind im Abschnitt ‘Material and Methods’ angegeben; ihre Wirkung auf das Keim- und Stengelwachstum sowie auf die Knollenzahl und den Ertrag sind in Tabelle 1 aufgeführt. Nur die Gibberellins?ure (GA) beeinflusste die apikale Dominanz oder das nachfolgende Wachstum wesentlich. GA erh?hte die Anzahl der Keime und der Haupttriebe um 1/3, ebenso erh?hte sie stark die Anzahl der stolonenartigen Seitentreibe an den Keimen; einige der letzteren entwickleten sich nach dem Auspflanzen wahrscheinlich in Seitenstengel. Zweimalige Behandlung der Knollen mit Konzentrationen von 50und 100 ppm verursachten ein früheres Auflaufen und eine frühere Knollenbildung; dies im Gegensatz zu Bruinsma et al. (1967) und Lovell und Booth (1967), die fanden, dass GA den Beginn der Knollenbildung verz?gere. Der frühere Beginn der Knollenbildung wurde durch das frühere Auflaufen und das fortgeschrittene Stolonen-wachstum zur Zeit des Auspflanzens erm?glicht. Es waren kein signifikanten Einfluss von GA auf den Krautertrag bei irgendeiner der drei Musterentnahmen (Abb. 1) und keine ungünstigen Symptome, wie z.B. die von andern Forschern beobachtete Chlorose, festzustellen. Unbehandeltes Pflanzgut und solches, das zweimal mit einer GA-L?sung von 5, 50 und 100 ppm behandelt wurde, ergaben 10.8, 13.7, 17.0 bzw. 19.8 Knollen pro Staude und einen Pflanzknollenertrag von 12.4, 15.6, 17.6 bzw. 21.2 Tonnen/ha (Tabelle 2). Diese Unterschiede in der Knollenanzahl waren zur Zeit des Beginns der Knollenbildung schon klar ersichtlich (Abb. 1). Die in der Literatur berichtete Unterschiedlchkeit in der Reaktion der Gibberellins?ure wird im Zusammenhang mit der Anwendungs-methode und dem Zusatand der Pflanzknolle zur Zeit der Behandlung besprochen. Man kommt zum Schluss, dass weitere Arbeiten über Faktoren, die die Aufnahme von GA durch die Knollen beeinflussen, notwendig sind, bevor die Verwendung für die Produktion von Pflanzkartoffeln für den Handel empfohlen werden kann.

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Résumé Une étude précédente sur l'effet des variations dans la durée de la germination a suggéré l'hypothèse qu'une combinaison de la germination précoce et de la réduction de la dominance apicale était nécessaire pour accro?tre le nombre de tubercules par touffe. On a réalisé un essai de réduction de la dominance apicale par application de cinq régulateurs de croissance, à 3 concentrations chacun, à des plants de pomme de terre, en janvier, au moment du départ de la germination. Les détails des traitements sont donnés dans le paragraphe ‘Materials and methods’ et leurs effets sur la croissance du germe et de la tige, de même que sur le nombre de tubercules et la production figurent au tableau 1. Seul l'acide gibberellique (GA) influence réellement la dominance apicale ou la croissance subséquente. GA augmente de 1/3 le nombre de germes et de tiges principales et augmente également le nombre de ramifications semblables à un stolon sur les germes; plusieurs de ces derniers se développent probablement en branches de tiges après la plantation. GA pulvérisé deux fois sur les tubercules aux concentrations de 50 et 100 ppm a donné une levée plus précoce, de même qu'une initiation plus précoce des tubercules, contrairement à Bruinsma et d'autres (1967), Lovell et Booth (1967) qui trouvaient que GA retardait celle-ci. Il est possible que l'initiation plus précoce précoce soit due à une levée plus rapide et à une croissance plus avancée de stolons au moment de la plantation. Il ne se révèle aucun effet significatif de GA sur le développement foliaire à aucun des trois arrachages d'échantillons (Fig. 1) et aucun sympt?me nuisible, telle la chlorose signalée par certains chercheurs, n'a été observée. Les plants non traités et ceux traités deux fois avec des solutions de GA de 5, 50 et 100 ppm donnaient 10,8, 13,7, 17 et 19,8 tubercules par touffe, et les productions de plants étaient de 12,4, 15,6, 17,6 et 21,2 tonnes/ha respectivement (Tableau 2). Ces différences dans les nombres de tubercules apparaissent clairement au moment de l'initiation des tubercules (Fig. 1). L'auteur discute des variations dans la réaction à l'acide gibberellique rapportées dans la littérature en fonction de la méthode d'application et de l'état du plant au moment du traitement; il conclut qu'une recherche ultérieure sur les facteurs qui affectent l'absorption de GA par les tubercules est nécessaire avant que l'on puisse recommander son utilisation dans la production commerciale de plants.

     

Specific gravity,potato chip color and tuber mineral content as affected by soil moisture and harvest dates

In 1966 and 1967 the chipping quality of three potato varieties was studied using three moisture regumes, two nitrogen levels, and three harvest dates. Specific gravity and chip color of potatoes freshly harvested and of those stored 10 days, along with chip color differences between the two periods, were tested. Of the three varieties tested — Anoka, Kennebec, Irish Cobbler — Anoka§ specific gravity was least depressed by soil-moisture stress and its chip color least affected by time of chipping; all tubers, however, chipped darker after being stored. High soil temperatures were associated with low specific gravities and dark chips. In 1966 irrigation tended to lower soil temperature, resulting in lighter chip color for potatoes harvested from irrigated than from nonirrigated plots; also color was lighter at the first than at the later harvests. In 1967, when air temperatures were consistently lower and rainfall nearly adequate, chip color was lighter for potatoes harvester later in the season. Nitrogen levels did not influence chip color. Moisture regimes and varieties influenced mineral content of tubers more consistently for the two years than did harvest dates or nitrogen levels. Specific gravity did not correlate significantly with chip color.     

Influence of seed tuber infestation,chemical seed treatment,and pre-harvest climate on incidence of gangrene and dry rot of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Summary In each of the five years 1978 to 1982, seed lots of cv. Bintje, variously infested byPhoma foveata Foister andFusarium solani var.coeruleum (Sacc.) Booth, as found by wound and cut tests, respectively, were planted in a series of field experiments at six sites in Sweden. A statistically significant relationship between seed and progeny infestation was found forP. foveata each year, and in three years forF. solani. Benomyl and thiabendazole mist treatments of seed tubers at grading in spring controlled the development of gangrene and dry rot in treated seed tubers, but did not consistently reduce the levels ofP. foveata andF. solani infestation in progeny from treated seed tubers. The site of cultivation markedly influenced mean levels ofP. foveata infestation, which were found to be related to temperature and rainfall during a 40 day pre-harvest period at the trail sites; however, mean levels ofF. solani infestation were not so related.     

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.     

Effect of N6benzyladenine on vegetative growth and tuber production in potato

Effects of 0, 10, 20 and 30 ppm N⁶Benzyladenine and 1, 2 and 3 applications on a summer variety of potato were studied in a factorial experiment. Benzyladenine at 10–20 ppm regardless of the number of applications significantly increased number of shoots per plant. This was noticed as early as 20 days after the first application. Two applications regardless of concentration, and a combination of two applications and 20 ppm concentration significantly increased the total length of main shoots. There were no significant changes in tuber production.     

Detection of potato spindle tuber viroid in true potato seed by bioassay on Rutgers tomato

Various methods of preparing inoculum from single and composite samples of true potato (TP) seeds and TP seedlings were evaluated by bioassay on Rutgers tomato. An inhibitor of infection was found in concentrated plant sap prepared from composite TP seedlings that could be sequestered with RNasin or purified bentonite. Sap extracts from TP seedlings prepared in buffer containing bentonite were more infectious than nucleic acid extracts from an equivalent fresh weight of tissue. PSTV was detected in single seeds when sap preparations were inoculated on tomato and amplified to levels detectable by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Retardation of shoot growth and promotion of tuber growth of potato plants by paclobutrazol

The relationship between shoot growth and tuber yield in potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Russet Burbank) was studied under greenhouse conditions using paclobutrazol [(2R,3R + 2S,3S)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(l,2-4-triazol-l-yl)-pentan-3-ol), PP333], a growth retardant. Concurrent with reduction of stem elongation by the application of paclobutrazol to base of the main stem was a decrease in the dry weight of the shoot and an increase in the dry weight of the tuber. The inhibitory effect of paclobutrazol on stem elongation was reversed by gibberellic acid A₃ (GA₃). Leaf content of raffinose sugar and chlorophyll increased upon paclobutrazol treatment.     

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.