Potato Research

The European Association for Potato Research (EAPR) publishes a journal, Potato Research, which includes original scientific contributions on both fundamental and applied research on potatoes, review articles and topics of general interest. It also contains Association news and reports on section meetings (including abstracts of papers presented).
A volume of the Journal (usually approximately 450 pages), consists of four issues, published in the same year. Submission of manuscripts is exclusively online via a web-based electronic submission and tracking system available at https://www.editorialmanager.com/potr

EAPR Members have online access to Potato Research (use the EAPR member login page)
A list of addresses of editors of ‘Potato Research’
Contents of ‘Potato Research’ can be found at Springerlink
Instructions for authors
Any comments regarding the publication and distribution of Potato Research should be addressed to EAPR

Springer Link

https://link.springer.com/journal/11540

Latest Issues

Physicochemical Characterisation of Starches from Six Potato Cultivars Native to the Colombian Andean Region
3rd August, 2020
Abstract

We isolated and investigated the starch of six potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum), grown in the Andean region in the south of Colombia, to determine their physicochemical properties. The potato cultivars are known by their common names as Mambera, Ratona, Pastusa, Capiro, Unica and Roja-huila. The minerals, amylose content, water absorption and water solubility of the starches were evaluated. Morphology, crystalline structure, gelatinisation, thermal degradation and viscosity were also determined. The results showed that Capiro starch has a high mineral content. The apparent amylose and phosphorus contents in starch isolated from Mambera, Ratona and Pastusa were higher than those from Unica and Roja-huila. The starches with higher amylose content and better-defined peak in X-ray diffraction (XRD) (Mambera, Ratona and Capiro) had higher gelatinisation temperatures and took more time to reach the viscosity peak. All starches have hexagonal crystalline structure (B-type). The final viscosity of starches isolated from Mambera and Ratona was higher than that from Unica, Roja-huila and Pastusa due to their higher apparent amylose content.
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Comparison of Aeroponics and Conventional Potato Mini Tuber Production Systems at Different Plant Densities
20th July, 2020
Abstract

Mini tubers are the starting materials of a disease-free seed potato production scheme. Low multiplication rates as well as non-homogenous tuber size distribution are considered the main constraints of a conventional mini tuber production system. In recent years, an aeroponics production system has been developed to overcome the aforementioned problems. It has previously been observed that this system allows multiple harvests with an average yield of 20–50 mini tubers per plant. Several factors, such as cultivar, planting density, nutrient composition of the mist solution, spraying interval and duration and lighting also affect both tuber number and tuber size. However, less attention has been paid to the association of these factors with the aeroponics system. This paper highlights the importance of planting density effect on conventional and aeroponics system. The mini tuber production performances of three potato cultivars (Hermes, Marabel and Sante) were compared at four different planting densities (25, 50, 100 and 200 plants/m2) under both conventional and aeroponics systems in two production cycles. The number of tubers per plant increased with decreasing planting density, being highest at 25 plants/m2 and lowest at 200 plants/m2 for both cycles. Mean tuber number in the aeroponic system was 19.85 tubers per plant at 25 plants/m2 and 13.20 tubers per plant at 200 plants/m2. As the number of tubers per plant decreased, so did their size. As planting density increased, tuber yield per plant both in aeroponics and conventional system decreased, but in general, tuber yield per plant was higher in aeroponics than in the conventional system. In the 1st cycle, the number of tubers per m2 for Hermes, Sante and Marabel was 290, 364 and 334, respectively, in the conventional system and 787, 1021 and 1168, respectively, in the aeroponics system. Similar numbers were recorded in the 2nd cycle. The average tuber weight was higher in the conventional than in the aeroponics system. Tuber yield/m2 in this study varied from 5.9 to 9.3 kg/m2 in the aeroponics system, about twice as high as in the conventional system.
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Improved Production of High-Quality Potato Seeds in Aeroponics with Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria
29th June, 2020
Abstract

We investigated the effect of inoculation with the plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 under aeroponic conditions on the quality and performance of minitubers of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cvs. Nevsky and Kondor). In vitro-grown microplants were planted in an aeroponic system, and after 3 weeks of growth, the bacteria were added to the potato nutrient solution. We evaluated the effect of inoculation on the potato growth variables, minituber yield and minituber starch content. Root-associated bacteria were detected by confocal microscopy, and their numbers in the plant growth medium were monitored by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cells of A. brasilense Sp245 remained on roots during plant growth and were eliminated from the nutrient solution in the aeroponic system within a week after inoculation. Inoculation brought about statistically significant increases in shoot height (16%) and in leaf blade number (14%). The number of minitubers increased by 40% in Kondor plants and by 60% in Nevsky plants, and their yield per square metre increased by an average of 17% in both cultivars. Inoculation also increased the size of starch grains in the amyloplastids (by 12%) and the starch content of minitubers (by 1.5 times). The plant-bacterial association developed in this study was active under aeroponic conditions. This report is the first to show that A. brasilense Sp245 promotes the growth, development and performance of potato and helps to increase the quality of minitubers, thereby contributing to the efficacy of potato seed tuber production.
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Climate Change and Potato Productivity in Punjab—Impacts and Adaptation
1st June, 2020
Abstract

The study was carried out to assess the impact of climate change on potato productivity to develop adaptation strategies in Punjab, using crop growth simulation models for future climate scenarios (2030, 2050 and 2080) under representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 6.0. Three potato cultivars belonging to distinct maturity groups, late (Kufri Badshah), medium (Kufri Jyoti) and early (Kufri Pukhraj), were used. Simulation results showed that under RCP 4.5, increase in CO2 concentration is expected to bring an increase in productivity of Kufri Badshah, Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Pukhraj by 6.7, 7.2 and 7.1% in 2030; 10.8, 11.6 and 11.4% in 2050; and 14.0, 15.0 and 14.8% in 2080. However, the corresponding increase in temperature is likely to decline the mean productivity by 2.6, 3.8 and 3.8% in 2030; 6.5, 8.7 and 9.3% in 2050; and 14.4, 17.6 and 18.4% in 2080, for Kufri Badshah, Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Pukhraj. But, when combined influence of temperature and CO2 was considered, the productivity of potato will not be affected in 2030 and 2050 over the baseline scenario but is expected to decline in 2080 (Kufri Badshah − 1.9%, Kufri Jyoti − 4.1% and Kufri Pukhraj − 5.2%). Similarly, for RCP 6.0, increased CO2 concentration is expected to increase the mean productivity by 6.5% in 2030, 10.5% in 2050 and 19.4% in 2080. However, yield increase due to CO2 is negated by increased temperature with respective values of 2.2, 4.4 and 14.2%. However, under combined effect for RCP 6.0, productivity of potato cultivars is not likely to be affected over the baseline scenarios for 2030, 2050 and 2080. Results further revealed that by changing the dates of planting or selection of suitable cultivars, yield can increase in 2030 by 7.4% in Kufri Badshah and 7.8 and 1.5% in Kufri Pukhraj in 2050 and 2080, under RCP 4.5. Similarly, adaptation may increase mean yield up to 9.1% for Kufri Pukhraj in 2030, 9.8% for Kufri Badshah in 2050 and 8.2% for Kufri Badshah and Kufri Jyoti in 2080 under RCP 6.0. Further, with proper irrigation and nitrogen management practices, yield can be increased.
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Potato Yield and Yield Components as Affected by Positive Selection During Several Generations of Seed Multiplication in Southwestern Uganda
30th May, 2020
Abstract

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important crop in Uganda but production is low. There is not a well-functioning official seed system and farmers use potato tubers from a previous harvest as seed. This study investigated how effectively the seed technology positive selection enhanced yield and underlying crop characteristics across multiple seasons, compared to the farmers’ selection method. Positive selection is selecting healthy plants during crop growth for harvesting seed potato tubers to be planted in the next season. Farmers’ selection involves selection of seed tubers from the bulk of the ware potato harvest. Positive selection was compared to farmers’ seed selection for up to three seasons in three field trials in different locations in southwestern Uganda using seed lots from different origins. Across all experiments, seasons and seed lots, yields were higher under positive selection than under farmers’ selection. The average yield increase resulting from positive selection was 12%, but yield increases were variable, ranging from − 5.7% to + 36.9%, and in the individual experiments often not significant. These yield increases were due to higher yields per plant, and mostly higher weights per tuber, whereas the numbers of tubers per plant were not significantly different. Experimentation and yield assessment were hampered by a varying number of plants that could not be harvested because plants had to be rogued from the experimental plots because of bacterial wilt (more frequent under farmers’ selection than under positive selection), plants disappeared from the experimental field and sometimes plants did not emerge. Nevertheless, adoption of positive selection should be encouraged due to a higher production and less virus infection of seed tubers in positive selected plants, resulting in a lower degeneration rate of potato seed tubers.
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Latest Issues

Physicochemical Characterisation of Starches from Six Potato Cultivars Native to the Colombian Andean Region

Abstract

Comparison of Aeroponics and Conventional Potato Mini Tuber Production Systems at Different Plant Densities

Abstract

Improved Production of High-Quality Potato Seeds in Aeroponics with Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria

Abstract

Climate Change and Potato Productivity in Punjab—Impacts and Adaptation

Abstract

Potato Yield and Yield Components as Affected by Positive Selection During Several Generations of Seed Multiplication in Southwestern Uganda

Abstract

EAPR Sustaining Members