EFFECT OF WATER STRESS DURING GROWING SEASON ON POTATO SEED TUBERS DORMANCY PERIOD

A large part of the growing season of seed-potato crops in Greece coincides with the xerothermic summer period, and this has as a consequence the occurrence of soil water deficit in areas where irrigation water supply is inadequate.
This deficit has certain adverse effects on the normal physiological development of the produced seed tubers after harvest.
To investigate the effect of soil water deficit during the growing season on the length of the dormancy period of the seed tubers produced under water stress conditions, specific trials were set up in years 1988–1990, assessing 4 soil moisture levels in specially modified cement frames which shielded the plots against uncontrollable water inputs from rainfalls.
The lack of sufficient soil water supply during the growing season led to a reduced length of the dormancy period of the produced seed tubers.
Reduction of the available to the plants soil moisture from 65% to 40% shortened the length of the dormancy period by 2–4 weeks.
Reduction of the available soil moisture to 39% shortened the length of the dormancy period by 3–5 weeks.
Finally, reduction of the available soil moisture to 27% shortened the length of the dormancy period by 7–8 weeks.
The results lead to the conclusion that when selecting areas for potato seed production one should take seriously into account the adequacy of water supply for the appropriate irrigation of the crop.
In this way we avoid water shortage during the growing season, which shortens the length of the dormancy period of the produced seed tubers and affects their subsequent behaviour and performance negatively.

II International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops

D.I. Karafyllidis, D.N. Georgakis, N.I. Stauropoulos, A. Louizakis

Sprouting, growing period, physiological age, seed performance, seed behavior, water deficit, soil moisture

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.449.32