potato growth and developmen dr. mike thornton · 2014-03-07 · potato root growth in comparison...
Post on 25-Jun-2020
1 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Potato Growth and Development Dr. Mike Thornton
Potato Growth Stages
Reprinted from Potato Production Systems, University of ID
Over 90% of tuber dry matter comes from photosynthesis
● The potato plant is basically a starch factory
Photosynthesis - only in leaves
Sugar – a form of stored energy
Roots
Leaves Leaves
Sugar
Water/Nutrients
CO2 Evaporative Cooling
Components of the potato “factory”
Tubers
From Dean, 1994
Roots
Leaves Leaves
Sugar
Water/Nutrients
CO2 Evaporative Cooling
Components of the potato “factory”
Tubers
What do we know about potato root systems?
Modified from Weaver (1926)
1 Ft
2 Ft
3 Ft
4 Ft
Photo by M. Stalham, CUF
Potato roots pose some challenges
Total Root Length
(km m-2)
Adapted from: Stalham and Allen, 2001 and Yamaguchi, 2003
21%
30%
60% Proportion that is root hairs
Cultivar differences in rooting depth
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
03-Jun 24-Jun 15-Jul 5-Aug 26-Aug
Depth(cm)
EarlyLate
1 ft
2 ft
3 ft
Source: Stalham, 2002
Roots
Leaves Leaves
Sugar
Water/Nutrients
CO2 Evaporative Cooling
Components of the potato “factory”
Tubers
Sprouting
Why do so many defects show up on the stem end? - Stolon (vascular system) - Composition (cell size,
no of starch granules, sugars, enzymes)
- Age
How do we make the factory more productive?
Build it faster!
Potato Growth Stages
Reprinted from Potato Production Systems, University of ID
Building the factory
Sprout growth rate is directly related to soil temperature
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
45 50 55 60 65 70 75
Soil Temperature (F)
Sprout growth rate
Source: Kelmke and Moll, 1990
For the first ~40 days the seed piece is the primary source of energy for the factory
400
450
500
550
600
0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
Weight of seed piece (oz) per stem
Total Yield (cwt/ac)
Source: Iritani and Thornton, 1984
How do we make the factory more productive?
Run it longer!
Potato Growth Stages
Reprinted from Potato Production Systems, University of ID
Running the factory
Yield Components
Yield = Number of days X
Production per day
Example 1: 10 cwt/day X 50 days = 500 cwt
Example 2: 10 cwt/day X 70 days = 700 cwt
6-10 cwt/day is typical for ID
0
200
400
600
800
35 63 91 119 147 175 203
Location Length of Linear Bulking Rate of Linear Bulking
Period (days) Rate (cwt/A/day)
Parma 118 5.9
Aberdeen 51 7.4
Parma
Aberdeen
Effect on location on bulking rate
0
200
400
600
800
60 72 85 99 14 130 141 155 169 184 198
DAP DAP
cwt/A
Effect of N fertilizer on ground cover of Russet Burbank
0
20
40
60
80
100
1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov
Gro
und
cove
r (%
)
N0 N100 N200
We need to maximize the
period of 100% light
capture
Potato Root Growth in Comparison to Nutrient Uptake (Russet Burbank)
0
2 0 0
4 0 0
6 0 0
8 0 0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140
Days After Planting
Rel
ativ
e R
oot L
engt
h a
nd N
Upt
ake
TotalTubersRoot Length
Source: Pan, 1994
You can’t run the factory at full capacity without intercepting sunlight
How do we make the factory more productive?
Run it more efficiently!
● The temperature optimum for Photosynthesis (energy production) is around 75o
to 80o F , Respiration (energy use) continues to increase with temperature
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
41 59 77 95Temperature (F)
Net Ps Rate
cloudy
sl.overcastsunny
respiration
Source: Winkler, 1961
The factory has several critical processes
Carbohydrate production is the critical process
7570
6055
4540
0
25
50
75
100
Net Carb Production
77 77 86 86 95 95Day
Night cool warm cool warm warm hot
Fewer carbs available to drive tuber growth
cool cool warm warm hot hot
Once the factory is running, sunny but cool (70 to 80 F) conditions help make it more efficient
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
25-A
pr
10-M
ay
25-M
ay
10-Ju
n
25-Ju
n10
-Jul
25-Ju
l
10-A
ug
25-A
ug
10-S
epAve
Max
imum
Tem
pera
ture
(F)
Low Yield YearsHigh Yield Years
Source: Iritani, 1984
Cool temperatures during bulking
help the factory run efficiently
● What about “silver bullet” products that claim to improve yield and quality?
Any product that is going to increase yield has to:
- Build the factory quicker! OR - Run the factory longer! OR - Run it more efficiently!
Methods to improve skin color - Waxing (popular in the 1950’s) - Production regions (soils and climate) - New varieties (ongoing) - Growth regulators (use of 2,4-D described in 1949)
What do we know about 2,4-D?
ü Auxin-like compound
ü Herbicide: broadleaved weeds
ü Stimulate cell growth in phloem
ü Blockage starvation death
ü Stimulate ethylene synthesis in potato*
- Could be direct or indirect
Arteca, R.N. 1982. AJPR 59(6):267-274
Mechanism of color enhancement
“Mechanism of 2,4-D enhancement of red color in
potato periderm is not known.” (Rosen, et. al, 2004)*
* Am. J. Pot. Res. (2009) 86:15-23
1
2
3
4
5
Check/ MCP/ De-blossom Ethylene/ 2,4-D Treatments
b
a
Influence of foliar applications of growth regulators on skin color for the cultivar Red LaSoda. Color rated on a scale from 1-5(darkest).
The darker color going into storage – the darker they come out of storage
Specialty varieties
Red Lasoda Purple Pelisse Yukon Gold
Terra Rosa All Blue Bintje
Effect of application timing on skin color or Red Lasoda
c
a ab
bc c
Acknowledgements
top related