The effect of soil temperatures on brown center development in potatoes

A study was conducted to determine the effect of different soil temperatures on the development of brown center in potatoes,Solanum tuberosum L. cv Russet Burbank. Plants were grown in 19 liter (5-gal) nursery pots under warm conditions, previously shown to be non-inductive to brown center development, until shortly after tuber formation. They were then moved to a cool growth room and grown in 4 soil temperature regimes until harvest. Soil temperatures of 10°C (50°F) and 15°C (60°F) produced greater development of brown center than either 4°C (40°F) or 21°C (70°F).