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Title: EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF POTATO

Author
item RAHMAN, S. M. - UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
item Timlin, Dennis
item Reddy, Vangimalla
item Baker, Jeffrey

Submitted to: BARC Poster Day
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Our goal was to construct a simple potato phenology model which will be useful for potato growers to quantify phenological growth and development to assist in management decisions. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of temperature on phenological growth and development of potato cv. Atlantic under super ambient atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (700 ppm CO2). Potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) were grown in a nearly natural environment using day lit plant growth chambers with temperature as the controlled variable. The air temperatures were kept constant at 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 degrees C during the 64-d experimental period. Plant height, main stem node number, leaf number, leaf area index, dry matter partitioning and yield with yield contributing characters were recorded by destructive harvesting at weekly or biweekly intervals as needed. Non-destructive data on plant height and main stem node number in each chamber were collected at four day, or weekly intervals. Destructive harvesting was done at 20, 34 and 54 days after emergence. We identified base temperature (9 degrees C) for potato growth at which leaf appearance rate was zero, an optimum temperature where leaf appearance was at a maximum (24 degrees C) and an upper threshold temperature (36 degrees C) where leaf appearance rate returns to zero. Temperature had a significant effect on main stem leaf dry weight, main stem leaf area, main stem dry weight, tiller leaf dry weight, tiller leaf number, but not on root dry weight. Main stem leaf dry weight, main stem leaf area, and root dry weight showed significant increases at each sampling date. Main stem dry weight, tiller leaf dry weight, and tiller leaf number did not show significant increases with sampling date.