EFFECTS OF STORAGE PERIOD AND GIBBERELLIC ACID ON SPROUT BEHAVIOUR AND PLANT GROWTH OF POTATOES SUITABLE FOR TROPICAL CONDITIONS

Potato can be manipulated to produce either many small potatoes for seed or fewer large potatoes for processing or fresh use.
The aim of this study was to increase number of small seed tubers in varieties used in Asia by manipulating physiological age and treatment with gibberellic acid (GA₃).
Prolonging storage period (16 to 26 weeks) reduced apical dominance and increased sprout number and total length of sprouts in most varieties.
Cultivar KT3 was still dormant after 16 weeks storage, but sprouted by 26 weeks.
Sprout numbers of physiologically young (16 weeks) and old (26 weeks) Eben were similar.
In physiologically young Atlantic and Eben seeds GA₃ increased stem and tuber number, without affecting yield.
Physiologically young Dawmor, KT3 and PO3 seed treated with GA₃ increased stem number, but tuber number was not affected and yield decreased.
GA₃ increased tuber number in physiologically old Dawmor and Eben, yield was unaffected in Dawmor and increased in Eben.
In physiologically old seed of the other varieties tuber number was unaffected and yield was either unchanged or reduced.

In conclusion, 20 mg L^-1 GA₃ may be used to increase tuber number in physiologically young Atlantic and Eben seeds and in physiologically old Dawmor and Eben seeds.
Both cultivar choice and physiological age of seed were important factors to consider when using GA₃ to increase tuber number without reducing yield.

International Symposium on Harnessing the Potential of Horticulture in the Asian-Pacific Region

T. Kustiati, J.A. Plummer, I. McPharlin

Seed potato, Solanum tuberosum, sprouting capacity, physiological age, GA₃, small tuber

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.694.70