Abstract
Potato tuber number, size and quality determine crop value. Elevated soil temperature often reduces yield and quality. Effects of cool soil are less well understood. Potatoes were grown in a greenhouse with 22 °C days and 18 °C nights. Shortly after emergence, soil temperature in some pots was lowered to 10–14 °C using cooling coils wrapped around individual pots. Soil temperature of ambient temperature controls was 17–21 °C. Tuber number and total tuber weight were determined for two chip and four fresh market varieties grown in chilled and ambient temperature soil. Tuber number with chilled soil averaged 3.2 times that of controls. Tuber weight was comparable between the two treatments. ‘Red Norland’ skin was lighter red and ‘Adirondack Blue’ skin was darker purple with chilled soil compared with controls. Skin color was unchanged for the other varieties. Overall, the data suggest that cool soil influences commercially important characteristics of potato.
Resumen
El número, el tamaño y la calidad del tubérculo de papa determinan el valor del cultivo. La temperatura elevada del suelo a menudo reduce el rendimiento y la calidad. Los efectos del suelo frío son menos entendidos. Las papas se cultivaban en un invernadero con 22 °C de día y 18 °C de noche. Poco después de la emergencia, la temperatura del suelo en algunas macetas se redujo a 10–14 °C utilizando bobinas de enfriamiento envueltas alrededor de macetas individuales. La temperatura del suelo de los testigos de temperatura ambiente fue de 17–21 °C. El número de tubérculos y el peso total del tubérculo se determinaron para dos variedades de fritura y cuatro de mercado fresco cultivadas en suelos refrigerados y a temperatura ambiente. El número de tubérculos con suelo refrigerado promedió 3,2 veces el de los testigos. El peso del tubérculo fue comparable entre los dos tratamientos. La piel de ‘Red Norland’ era de color rojo más claro y la piel de ‘Adirondack Blue’ era de color púrpura más oscuro con suelo frío en comparación con los testigos. El color de la piel no cambió para las otras variedades. En general, los datos sugieren que el suelo frío influye en las características comercialmente importantes de la papa.
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Acknowledgements
Partial funding for this project came from the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association Chip Committee. Special thanks are given to Thomas Whitten, who designed and fabricated the temperature measurement system, Bjorn Karlsson, who fabricated the cooling system, Sarah deVeer, who helped with plant care, and other staff at the University of Wisconsin Biotron who supported this project.
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Bethke, P.C. Cool Soil Increases Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Tuber Number in Multiple Varieties and Alters Skin Color Intensity of ‘Red Norland’ and ‘Adirondack Blue’. Am. J. Potato Res. 100, 79–86 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-022-09901-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-022-09901-3