Potato minituber production using aeroponics: Effect of plant density and harvesting intervals

To optimize minituber production through aeroponics some horticultural management factors should be studied. Potato plantlets, cv Zorba, were grown aeroponically at two different plant densities (60 and 100 plants/m²). Plants showed an extended vegetative cycle of about 5 months after planting. A higher number of stolons was obtained at low plant densities. Tuber formation hastened when supplied N was reduced. Experiments on harvesting intervals (7, 10, and 14 days) indicated that for a density of 60 plants/m², both number of minitubers and yield increased as harvesting interval decreased. Best results were achieved harvesting every 7 days: a total tuber yield of 118.6 g per plant was obtained (four times higher than for 100 plants/m²). Such a yield was composed, on the average, of 13.4 tubers with a mean tuber weight of 8.1 g. Harvesting intervals did not have an effect on the number of minitubers and yield for a density of 100 plants/m². The best productivity obtained in this study was 800 minitubers/m² for weekly harvests and a low plant density (60 plants/m²). We also studied the field performance of aeroponically produced minitubers vs those produced by hydroponics. Minituber behavior under field conditions was independent from the technique used for its production.