The effect of short periods of shading at different stages of growth on the development of tuber number and yield

Summary Shading potato plants at the beginning of tuber initiation for a period of 12 days reduced the rate of tuber formation and growth; but after the shades were removed tuber formation continued to give more tubers and the shaded plants eventually produced 30% more tubers than the unshaded, with similar yield. Shading for 12 days during the early stages of rapid tuber bulking had no effect on tuber number or survival, though bulking rate was temporarily reduced, leading to a reduction in final yield. These number results indicate that tuber number can be influenced by the weather during the period of tuber initiation.