The effect of day and night temperatures on bud initiation and flowering in diploid potatoes

Eight clones from a diploid hybrid population ofSolanum tuberosum subsp.phureja andstenotomum were grown at the Southeastern Plant Environmental Laboratories under simulated long day conditions under six day/night temperature regimes: 22/18, 22/14, 22/10, 26/18, 26/14 and 26/10 C. Time to bud initiation was not significantly affected by daytime temperature (22 vs 26 C). However, decreasing night temperature significantly increased the time to bud initiation. At 10 C night temperatures bud abortion was 100%, bud initiation failed to occur, or the initiated buds failed to flower before the end of the experiment for all clones except one. Bud abortion and flowering were not significantly affected by temperature regime in the remaining four chambers (26/18, 26/14, 22/18 and 22/14 C). However, there were highly significant differences in bud abortion and flowering among clones at the different temperature regimes.     

Photosynthesis, respiration and nitrogen fixation in white clover

An apparatus in which shoot and root CO₂ exchange and acetylene reduction can be simultaneously measured in specific white cloverrhizobium associations is described. In mature stolonating clover there was a fairly constant ratio between net photosynthesis, root respiration and acetylene reduction. Of the net carbon fixed daily (12 h light of 80 W m^-2, 400–700 nm; day/night temperature 15°C) 12% was lost during the dark period by the shoot and 17% by the nodulated root. Changes in the rate of acetylene reduction by nodulated root systems occurred more slowly than those in rates of root respiration in response to reduced irradiance. In 21·5 h continuous darkness the rate of acetylene reduction remained constant. Responses to increased irradiance were more immediate in both root respiration and acetylene reduction. In plants maintained at 15°C in a 12-h, 80-W m^-2 photoperiod there was no significant diurnal variation in acetylene reduction or root respiration. Acetylene depressed root respiration by 20%. Assuming the energy requirement of the nitrogenase system to be the same when reducing acetylene and N the depression can be used as an indication of the energy requirement of fixed N assimilation, metabolism and export in the nodulated root. Of the net carbon fixed daily 3·4% was utilized in this way in plants growing in a 12-h photoperiod (80 W m^-2, 400–700 nm) at 15°C.     

Effects of Age and Pretreatment of Tissue-Cultured Potato Plants on Subsequent Minituber Production

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plantlets were conditioned in tissue culture to produce more minitubers when planted in a greenhouse. Tissue-cultured potato plantlets, varieties Coliban and Russet Burbank, were grown for 4, 10, or 12 weeks under three temperature regimes (22/18 °C, 16/10 °C, and 10/2 °C day/night) and a photoperiod of 16, 12, or 8 h in different stages of growth. Duration, temperature, and photoperiod of the in vitro period affected plantlet morphology and the total number of minitubers produced per plant in a greenhouse. Extending the growing period and introducing a hardening period with low temperatures (16/10 °C) during the in vitro production stage resulted in 97% more minitubers (4.94 vs 2.50 minitubers per plant for the control) in variety Coliban and up to 71% (6.50 vs 3.80 minitubers per plant for the control) in variety Russet Burbank. The total number of minitubers produced per plant did not change significantly for both varieties when a shorter photoperiod was used instead of the standard 16-h day during the growing period in vitro. Results presented in this experiment demonstrate that the number of minitubers can be substantially increased through the introduction of an induction period as an interstage between the in vitro stages of potato plantlet production and minituber production.     

Effect of incandescent and fluorescent lighting used in photoperiod extension on the vegetative growth and floral development of four lines of pigeonpea

The effects of light quality, as used in photoperiod extension, on vegetative growth and floral development of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] were studied using three photoperiod-insensitive lines, QPL2, Prabhat, and Hunt, and one photoperiod-sensitive line, Royes. Plants were grown in controlled-environment cabinets under day/night temperature regimes of 24/16°C (low) and 28/24°C (high) for 72 days after emergence (DAE). The five light treatments consisted of 12 and 16-h photoperiods and a 12-h photoperiod extended to 16 h with low-intensity lighting from either incandescent (I), fluorescent (F), or incandescent plus fluorescent (I+F) lamps.Little genetic variation occurred in vegetative response (main stem length and node number, leaf area and shoot dry weight) to extension light source. Response varied with temperature, plant age and growth stage. Main stem node appearance and stem extension tended to decline following floral initiation (FI), whereas leaf area and shoot dry weight accumulation increased rapidly after 35 or 42 DAE, irrespective of whether plants were vegetative or floral. Plants were larger under the high-temperature regime. Temperature altered plant response to extension light source. I-extension promoted growth under both temperature regimes, whilst I+F promoted growth under high temperatures but was unexpectedly inhibitory under low. Under high temperatures F extension was inhibitory prior to FI, but promoted later growth during floral bud development (FBD). Under low temperatures, F-extension was not inhibitory during the pre-initiation phase.The four genotypes differed in their floral response to extension light source, the effect on initiation and development of floral primordia varying dependent upon temperature. Low temperatures resulted in sensitivity to extension light source, delaying FI and FBD. In Royes, failure to initiate under low temperatures was associated with small plant size (≤3.5 g shoot dry weight). High temperatures tended to negate the delaying effects of extension light source, but resulted in photoperiod sensitivity, delaying FI in the early-flowering lines QPL-2 and Prabhat. Under high temperatures, Royes was insensitive (FI and FBD) to extensions containing incandescent light (I, I+F). Under high temperatures, time of flowering was least affected by incandescent extensions (I, I+F), and most by F-extension, which delayed FBD in all lines. Under low temperatures, I+F extensions resulted in the greatest variation in flowering time.It was concluded that where heterogeneity exists in floral response to the intensity and/or quality of light, use of artificial lighting to select for photoperiod sensitivity may lead to misclassification.     

Relation between growth conditions and dormancy of seed potatoes. 3. Effects of light

Summary The effects on the dormancy of progeny tubers of the timing and level of shading during plant growth were investigated in three field experiments. The tubers were harvested while immature. Shading (50–75%) the crop shortly before haulm pulling shortened dormancy by 5–7 days in two experiments. However, dormancy was hardly affected by 50% shading in one experiment, carried out in a sunny dry period. The effects of the photoperiod during tuber bulking on dormancy were studied in two indoor experiments. Plants were grown at 18/12°C (day 12h/night) and a 12 h photoperiod. Shortly after tuber initiation, the photoperiod was extended to 18 h for 4–6 weeks by photosynthetically inactive incandescent light, or kept at 12 h. The effects of the photoperiod on dormancy were up to 9 days, but differed between the cultivars and experiments. Generally, the effects on tuber dormancy of differences in growth conditions, as reported in this series of papers, were limited.     

Variations in vernalization requirements among ecotypes of Festuca hallii

Plains rough fescue (Festuca hallii [Vasey] Piper) is an important forage grass species in the Northern Great Plains of Canada. Its seed is in demand for forage production and habitat restoration, but erratic seed production limits supply. A comprehensive understanding of factors influencing flowering and seed production in this species is needed. This study evaluated the morphological and phenological variation among six ecotypes of F. hallii from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Seeds were germinated, and seedlings were grown in the field and then transplanted to a greenhouse in November. Plants not flowering in the greenhouse were vernalized under 5°C and 8-h light for 11 weeks. In a separate experiment, plants were subjected to temperature regimes of 15/5°C, 10/0°C and 5/−5°C with day-length treatments of 12 h, 8 h and a gradually changing daylength from 12 to 8 h respectively. This study demonstrated the existence of considerable variation in morphological and phenological characteristics, and in growth and vernalization requirements among ecotypes of F. hallii. Vernalization requirements were not met for the ecotype from the Moist Mixed Grassland Ecoregion when it was grown under common conditions, whereas ecotypes from other ecoregions were vernalized in at least one of the 2 years in the field experiment. Northern ecotypes tended to flower earlier after artificial vernalization treatments. Overall, 15/5 to 5/−5°C d per night temperature regimes with photoperiods between 12 and 8 h were effective in inducing flowering. The seed source of F. hallii should be regarded as an important consideration affecting its use, both for habitat restoration and for forage production.     

Effects of temperature and photoperiod on early growth and final number of tubers in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Summary A phytotron experiment with all combinations of two photoperiod (12 or 18 h) and four temperature (18/12, 22/16, 26/20 or 30/24 °C; 12h/12h) treatments was carried out to analyse quantitative effects on early tuber growth, dry-matter partitioning and number of tubers of two cultivars. Higher temperatures and longer photoperiod delayed the onset of expolinear tuber growth and the onset of linear tuber bulking. Higher temperatures also gave lower absolute tuber growth rates. Photoperiod did not affect absolute tuber growth rate at lower temperatures. Higher temperature and longer photoperiod gave lower relative rates of partitioning of dry matter to the tubers. Differences between treatments in numbers of tubers initiated were inconsistent. This quantitative analysis of the effects of temperature and photoperiod on characteristics of tuber growth should prove useful in potato modelling.     

Internodal elongation: A potential screening technique for heat tolerance in potato

Summary In pot culture experiments over 2 consecutive years, 20 potato genotypes of varying heat tolerance were grown under long day conditions and heat stressed by being exposed to high (38 °C/21 °C mean day/night) temperature. The percent increase in mean internode length of heat stressed plants over those grown at normal temperatue (25°C/16°C day/night) was correlated with the percent tuber dry matter yield of the heat stressed plants (r=0.618, P=0.01). In the same 20 genotypes, grown under short day conditions at normal temperature, the fraction of leaf bud cuttings exposed to high night temperature (23°C) that produced tuber initials correlated with the percentage increase in internode elongation in stem cuttings exposed to 25°C compared with those exposed to 15°C (r=0.680. P=0.01). Thus the relative changes in internode elongation are related to thermal tolerance, and it is suggested that this can be used as a selection criterion for heat tolerance.     

A plant growth promoting rhizobacterium and temperature effects on performance of 18 clones of potato

A survey of genotypic responses to beneficial bacterium (Pseudomonas sp. strain PsJN) was conductedin vitro andex vitro, under two temperature conditions, using eighteen clones of potato of different heat stress tolerance: temperate adapted cultivars Kennebec and Russet Burbank; heat tolerant DTO-2, DTO-28, DTO-33, LT-1, LT-2, LT-5, LT-6, LT-7, LT-8, LT-9, Y84-02, NDD277-2, Désirée, and Maine-47; and heat sensitive abscissic acid (ABA)-deficient mutants 11401-01 and 9120-05. Nodal explants taken from 6-week-old bacterized and non-bacterized control plantlets were culturedin vitro on a hormone-free potato nodal cutting medium, and placed at either 20/15 C or 33/25 C day/night temperature, 12h photoperiod and 250 µE m^?2 s^?1 mixture of fluorescent and incandescent light, for six weeks. The tuberization response was studiedex vitro after two weeks acclimation of 2-week old plantlets at 33/25C. The acclimated plantlets were transplanted to 3L plastic nursery pots containing peat-based Pro-Mix growing medium and placed in growth chambers at either 20/15 or 33/25 C day/night temperature, 12 h photoperiod, 475 μE m^?2 s^?1 light and ≈80% RH, for 12 weeks. Compared to the non-bacterized controls, bacterization significantly increased stem length of 12, shoot biomass of 9, and root biomass of 2 clones at 20/15C; and stem length of 14, shoot biomass of 15, and root biomass of 13 clones at 33/25C. High temperature increased length of internodes and had either no effect or slightly decreased node number. Temperature increase had the most dramatic effect on root development. An average shoot to root ratio decreased from 3.7 at 20/15 C to 1.7 at 33/25 C for non-bacterized plantlets and, respectively, from 4.3 to 1.5 for bacterized. The beneficial effect of bacterization on root biomass was the most pronounced in LT-1 and Maine-47 at 20/15 C and LT-8, Maine 47, DTO-2, Kennebec, NDD277-2 and 11401-01 at 33/25C. The temperature elevation did not significantly affect root biomass of LT-6, DTO-28 and Désirée. Temperature stress caused severe reduction in tuber number and tuber fresh weight. ABA-deficient mutants did not produce any tubers and LT-8, LT-9, Y84-027 and DTO-28 tuberized very poorly at 33/25C. DTO-33, Désirée, LT-1 and Kennebec gave the highest number of tubers per pot and Kennebec, LT-1, Désirée and LT-7 the highest yields at this temperature. There was no significant effect of bacterization on tuberization at 20/15 C but at 33/25 C bacterization significantly enhanced tuber number and weight in LT-7 and reduced tuber weight in DTO-2. Although there was no clear link between thein vitro response of particular clones to bacterization and their heat stress tolerance, improvement ofex vitro performance of heat tolerant LT-7 indicates that rhizosphere bacteria may play a role in clonal adaptation of potato to heat stress.     

The effect of photoperiod on flowering and TPS production in the warm tropics

Summary Three similar field experiments with five cultivars were carried out to evaluate the effect of a 5-hour extension of the natural daylength and a 3-hour night break on flowering and TPS production in the warm tropics. Shoot length, number of inflorescence positions per plant and number of flowers per inflorescence varied considerably between the experiments. In each experiment, the supplementary photoperiods delayed cessation of shoot growth and thereby increased the orders of branching and the number of inflorescence positions per plant. The photoperiod treatments significantly increased the number of flowers at the last produced inflorescence positions, but not at other ones. Pollen production and quality, berry set, seed set and 100-seed weight were not affected by the photoperiod treatments. TPS production was characterized by variability in flowering and low and variable seed production per flower.     

Relation between growth conditions and dormancy of seed potatoes. 2. Effects of temperature

Summary In two indoor experiments under short day conditions, the effect of temperature during tuber bulking on dormancy of tubers was investigated for cvs Diamant and Désirée. Temperature treatments started after tuber initiation and lasted for 4 weeks, after which the haulm was removed. In Experiment 1, the day/night temperature regimes 18/12, 22/22, 26/18 and 32/12 °C (T18/12 etc.) were compared. In Experiment 2, three day temperatures (18, 24 and 30 °C) were combined with three night temperatures (12, 18 and 24 °C), resulting in nine treatments. The dormancy of cv. Diamant was shortest after very high day temperatures (30–32 °C), but intermediate day temperatures (22–26 °C) had no shortening effect compared to T18/12. Dormancy of cv. Désirée was not shortened, but rather tended to be prolonged by high temperatures (22–32 °C) during growth. High temperatures during growth resulted in more sprouts per tuber after dormancy had ended.     

Potato (Solanum spp.) in the hot tropics II. Soil temperature and moisture modification by mulch in contrasting environments

In order to quantify the effects of mulch on soil temperature and soil moisture regimes during the growth of the potato crop, seven experiments were conducted at three contrasting hot tropical sites (latitude 5–12 °S) varying in altitude from 180 to 800 m. Mean maximum and minimum temperatures during the crop seasons ranged from 27° and 30° and 16° to 21°C respectively. Various mulches, mostly organic, were tested either singly or in combination with other agronomic practices, and in one experiment the interactions between mulch and three radiation levels (0, 50, and 75% reduction of incoming radiation) were studied.Mulch always enhanced soil moisture retention, but the improvement was less evident under increasing shade. Daily soil temperature fluctuations at tuber depth were damped by mulch, and maximum reduction of daytime soil temperature was recorded immediately following planting, before the crop emerged.Reductions of daytime soil heating and retention of heat within the soil at night by mulch were influenced by various edaphic and weather conditions. Maximum reduction during the day was achieved under conditions favouring soil heating (e.g. high irradiance, low soil moisture content, ridged soil, soil of low albedo) whereas heat retention at night by mulch, although greater in shaded than non-shaded plots, in general was relatively greater under conditions that favoured longwave re-radiation from the soil (e.g. ridged and dry soil).     

Photoperiod,gibberellic acid,and kinetin,in potato flower differentiationin vitro

To inducein vitro floral differentiation on potato plantlets, one cm long apical explants cv. Marijke were excised and aseptically cultured in a semi-solid medium containing Murashige-Skoog salts supplemented with 0.3 mg/l indoleacetic acid; with or without one mg/l gibberellic acid (GA); 0.3, 3.0 or 30.0 mg/l Kinetin (K); 20, 40 or 60 g/l sucrose (S) and 8% agar, pH 5.7. After a five week growing period at 26–28 C with daily light PAR 35 μE/m²/sec, 14 or 24 h daylength (DL), flower buds developed with exposed sepals and an abscission zone in the peduncle. Statistical significance was found when the variation factors (GA, K, S, and DL) were analyzed individually or in combination for number and weight of floral buds. Absence of GA favored the number of buds/plant, and the interaction of continuous light with a culture medium containing 0.3 or 3.0 mg/l kinetin and 40 g/l sucrose induced the highestin vitro “yields” in number and weight of flower buds (6 per plant and up to 14 mg/bud), followed by premature abscission. In a similar experiment, to prevent such abscission, plants from five week old tissue culture were transferred to soil and maintained at 24 h DL and 26–28 C, but flower bud abortion could not be avoided. These results demonstrate the importance of manipulating exogenous factors (growth regulators, sucrose, photoperiod) to inducein vitro specific organogenesis in potatoes.     

光敏核不育水稻的光温反应研究：Ⅱ．人工控制条件下粳型光敏不育系的育性鉴定

 在人工控制条件下研究了光照时间和温度对农垦58S及以此为基因源转育的其他粳型光敏不育系育性的影响。结果表明，供试粳型光敏不育系的育性受光照时间和温度的双重影响， 在15.0 h光长与29.6℃平均温度(最高与最低温度分别为33.0℃与28.0℃)的长光照高温条件下，自交结实率为0或接近于0；在12.0 h光长与23.6℃平均温度(27.0／22.0℃)的短光照低温条件下， 自交结实率较高；在长光低温(15.0 h／23.6℃)和短光高温(12.0 h／29.6℃)下，育性出现不同程度的转变。不同材料的育性对光温反应存在着差异，提示遗传背景对育性表达可能有重要作用。本研究结果有助于对自然条件下光敏不育系夏季制种纯度不高而秋季繁种产量又较低的现象在理论上给予合理的解释。     

Promotion of Seedling Growth of Seeds of Rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Hitomebore) by Treatment with H2O2 before Sowing

Abstract

High germinability of seeds and establishment of young seedlings in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are necessary for direct seeding in paddy fields. We investigated whether germinability and seedling growth were promoted by treatment of rice seeds (cv. Hitomebore) with hydrogen peroxide solution (H₂O₂) during the imbibition for 24 h. H₂O₂ treatment with 50 mM H₂O₂ promoted seed germination, and seedling growth (shoot length, root length and shoot fresh weight) in agar culture under a low temperature condition (18°C day/14°C night). Seedling growth was promoted by H₂O₂ treatment not only under the low-temperature condition but also under a normal (23°C day/18°C night) temperature condition. Furthermore, H₂O₂ treatment promoted seedling growth under a flooding condition in a greenhouse. These results suggest that H₂O₂ treatment of rice seeds during the imbibition is advantageous for direct seeding. We discussed the relation between the promotion of the seed germinability and the seedling growth under a low-temperature condition, and the expression of some genes encoding ROS scavenger enzymes induced by H₂O₂ treatment.     

Assessment of heat tolerance in potato (Solanum tuberosum ssp.tuberosum) under controlled environmental conditions: the ‘cutting technique’

Summary The ‘cutting technique’ or ‘tuberisation stimulus’ (TS) technique was investigated as a method of identifying heat tolerant clones ofSolanum tuberosum ssp.tuberosum. TS levels were assessed, using leaf cuttings, for 100 experimental clones growing under heat stress in a controlled environment (35/15°C day/night temperatures, 16 h photoperiod). No correlation was found with the tuber yields of these clones when grown in an irrigated trial in Israel. The relationship between TS levels and tuber production was investigated using early and later maturing cultivars grown with and without heat stress. These experiments showed that the cv. Blanka had high TS levels in all environments and high tuber fresh weights when grown under heat stress. However, the correlation between TS levels and tuber fresh weight for all cultivars was weak (r=0.45). The results indicated that this TS technique is unlikely to be an accurate method of screeningtuberosum clones for heat tolerance.     

Yield and nutritive value of timothy as affected by temperature,photoperiod and time of harvest

Scenarios of global climate change forecast an increase in air temperature of 3°C over the next 100 years in eastern Canada. Growth and nutritive value of cool‐season grasses are known to be affected by air temperature. It is also believed that grasses grown at high latitude have a greater nutritive value. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of four combinations of day/night temperature and photoperiod (15 h–17/5°C; 15 h–22/10°C; 15 h–28/15°C; and 17 h‐17/5°C) on dry‐matter (DM) yield, in vitro true DM digestibility (IVTD), in vitro digestibility of neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF), and concentrations of NDF, acid‐detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, minerals and non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) in timothy grown under controlled conditions. Furthermore, herbage was harvested in the morning and in the afternoon to assess the impact of the time of harvest. The dietary cation–anion difference [DCAD = (K⁺ + Na⁺) ? (Cl^? + 0·6 S^2?)] and the grass tetany index [GT index = K⁺/(Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)] were also calculated. Higher temperature regimes significantly decreased IVTD and digestibility of NDF but had a limited effect on concentrations of NDF, ADF and lignin. DM yield of herbage was less and the concentration of NSC was greater in timothy grown under a temperature regime of 28/15°C than the 17/5°C and 22/10°C regimes; this effect is mainly explained by a response to temperature stress. Values of DCAD and the GT index of herbage were also lower under the 28/15°C than the 17/5°C and 22/10°C regimes as a result of a decreased plant K concentration. Under the 17/5°C regime, an increase in 2 h of photoperiod resulted in increased DM yield, decreased concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Cl and N, and an increased starch concentration; IVTD or digestibility of NDF were not affected, although lignin concentration was reduced. Harvesting timothy in the afternoon rather than in the morning resulted in higher NSC, mainly sucrose, concentrations, and decreased ADF and NDF concentrations. The forecasted increase in air temperature in eastern Canada over the next 100 years will result in lower yields and nutritive value of timothy.     

Carbon dioxide enrichment and temperature effects on cotton canopy photosynthesis,transpiration, and water-use efficiency

The objectives of this study were to evaluate effects of ambient and double ambient [CO₂] at a range of growing temperatures on photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, water-use efficiency and dry matter accumulation of cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum L., cv. DPL 50). In Experiment I, plants were grown outdoors until first bloom, then transferred into naturally lit growth chambers and grown for 22 days at 30/18°C with five CO₂ concentrations varying from 350 to 900 μl l⁻¹. In Experiment II, air temperatures were maintained at 20/12, 25/17, 30/22, and 35/27°C day/night during a 70-day experimental period with [CO₂] of 350 and 700 μl l⁻¹ at each temperature. Photosynthesis increased with [CO₂] from 350 to 700 μl l⁻¹ and with temperature. Plants grown at 35/27°C produced fewer bolls due to abscission compared with plants grown at optimum temperatures (30/20°C). At higher [CO₂], water-use efficiency increased at all temperatures due mainly to increased canopy photosynthesis but also to more limited extent to reduced canopy transpiration. Increased photosynthesis at higher [CO₂] resulted in greater dry matter accumulation at all temperatures except at 20/12°C. Respiration increased as dry matter and temperature increased. Plants grown at higher [CO₂] had less respiration per unit dry matter but more per unit area. These results indicate that future increases in [CO₂] are likely to benefit cotton production by increasing carbon assimilation under temperatures favorable for cotton growth. Reduced fruit weights at higher temperatures indicate potential negative effects on production if air temperatures increase as projected in a high-CO₂ world.     

Responses of Eighteen Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars to Temperature Tested Using Two Types of Growth Chambers

Abstract

Genetic variation in the growth response to temperature is a basis for developing adaptation measures to global warming, but evaluation of cultivars for the temperature responses may depend on other environmental factors such as light. In this study, we tested the growth responses of 18 diverse rice cultivars to constant day/night temperature of 25, 28, 31 and 34ºC in artificially-lit growth chambers (ALC) in Wagga Wagga (7.8 MJ m-² d-¹), and in naturally-lit chambers (NLC) in Yanco (25 and 28ºC and 13.4 MJ m-² d-¹; 31 and 34ºC and 11.5 MJ m-² d-¹), both in NSW, Australia. There was a significant interaction between temperature and chamber type for total shoot and panicle biomass; total shoot biomass was largest at 31ºC in ALC, and at 25 and 28ºC in NLC. From the average of all temperatures, the total shoot biomass declined by 29.5% in plants grown in ALC compared with those grown in NLC. Importantly, cultivar performance in ALC was similar to that in NLC at these temperatures, as evidenced by the highly significant correlation in total shoot biomass between ALC and NLC. Among 18 cultivars, IR64, IR72, N22, Vandana, Takanari and Koshihikari commonly produced a larger total shoot biomass under higher temperature conditions. Leaf area at earlier measurement date was highly correlated with the final total shoot biomass at the higher temperature more than specific leaf area.     

Influence of heat stress on dry matter production and photo-assimilate partitioning by four potato clones

Partitioning patterns of¹⁴C labeled assimilates were studied to determine their relationship to dry matter accumulation and distribution in four potato clones (Desiree, DTO-28, LT-1 and Russet Burbank). Plants placed in growth chambers at 35/25 C day/night temperature and 12-hour photo-period two weeks after tuber initiation were compared with plants grown continuously at 25/12 C. Two weeks after temperature treatments were begun, the most recently expanded leaf was labeled with¹⁴CO₂ for 30 minutes, and plants were harvested 20 hours or 15 days later. High temperature reduced total dry matter production and altered dry matter distribution in favor of vines at the expense of tubers. Partitioning of¹⁴C assimilates generally followed the pattern of dry matter distribution. Potato clones exhibited variation in¹⁴C assimilate export from labeled leaves and in partitioning to vines and tubers. Assimilate partitioning to tubers was not consistently higher in clones considered heat tolerant.