ARS | Publication request: UNDERSTANDING GENETIC VARIATIONS FOR CALCIUM ACCUMULATION EFFICIENCY IN TUBER AND AERIAL SHOOT TISSUES

Submitted to: American Journal of Potato Research
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 15, 2004
Publication Date: August 10, 2004
Citation: Busse, J.S., Bamberg, J.B., Palta, J.P. 2004. Understanding genetic variations for calcium accumulation efficiency in tuber and aerial shoot tissues. American Journal of Potato Research. 82:60.

Technical Abstract: Resistance to several pathological and physiological tuber defects, and improvement in tuber yield and grade have been correlated with the calcium concentration in the tuber. It has also been demonstrated that calcium can mitigate heat stress injury to the potato aerial shoot. In our previous studies, we reported genetic variations among potato species for tuber calcium accumulation efficiency. For the present study we used Solanum kurtizianum, S. microdontum, S. tuberosum cv. 'Dark Red Norland', and S. tuberosum cv. 'Russet Burbank' to investigate calcium accumulation efficiency in tuber medullary tissue and the aerial shoot. Plants were watered with ¼ X Hoagland's solution adjusted to either 25 or 500 ppm calcium with calcium chloride. In general, S. microdontum and S. kurtzianum, produced fewer and larger tubers with the 500 ppm calcium treatment as compared with the 25 ppm calcium treatment. Medullary calcium concentration increased for all genotypes as solution calcium concentration increased. S. microdontum medullary calcium level from the 25 ppm treatment equaled the 500 ppm treatment given to Dark Red Norland and Russet Burbank. The 500 ppm treatment given to S. microdontum resulted in a medullary tuber calcium concentration of 948 ppm/g DW -a 2.4 fold increase over Dark Red Norland and a 2.7 fold increase over Russet Burbank. S. kurtzianum accumulated the least tuber medullary calcium in both 25 ppm and 500 ppm treatment categories. A tissue culture experiment with the same genotypes was conducted where the root zone calcium concentration was varied from 1 ppm to 440 ppm. The shoot calcium content increased in all genotypes as the medium calcium concentration increased. S. kurtizianum consistently had a higher shoot calcium concentration than the other three genotypes at any root zone calcium concentration. This data indicates: 1) Wild germplasm holds potential for increasing tuber calcium levels. 2) Calcium accumulation efficiency between tubers and aerial shoots is not necessarily linked.