Relation between stolon and tuber characteristics and the duration of tuber dormancy in potato

Abstract

Potatoes cv. Diamant were grown in the greenhouse and date of stolon initiation, stolon length, position of the stolon on the stem, date of tuber initiation, position of the tuber on the stolon, tuber shape and tuber weight were determined. After harvest, tubers were stored at 18 degrees C to assess the duration of dormancy. By means of regression analyses, sets of variables were selected that explained the variation in duration of dormancy best. Tuber weight explained by far the highest proportion of the variation in dormancy and was negatively correlated with dormancy duration. The duration of dormancy was also significantly (positively) related to the date of tuber initiation and to the position of the tuber on the plant during its growth. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)