Irrigation and soil temperature effects on Russet Burbank quality

Abstract

Potato growers in the Pacific Northwest suffer large economic losses in seasons with above normal temperatures, due to excess reducing sugars in tubers, which cause dark-end French fries. Our objective was to study irrigation management effects on potato quality, particularly the factors causing dark-end French fries or sugar-end syndrome. Solid-set sprinkler irrigated plots were established on potatoes at Kimberly, Idaho during , 1988 and 1989 irrigation seasons, and at Parma, Idaho in 1987 and 1988. Irrigation treatments were high and low frequency (3/week and 1/week) and two or three water application amounts referenced to estimated evapotranspiration (ET, ET+20%, and ET-20%). Neither frequency nor amount significantly affected yields. Irrigation frequency had more influence on potato quality than application amount. More frequent irrigation produced slightly higher quality tubers and lower incidence of dark-ends when fried. Soil temperature was inversely related to tuber grade quality and directly related to percentage of sugar-end tubers. Soil temperature was about 0.5 C lower under the high frequency than under the low frequency irrigation regime. On these silt loam soils, allowing available soil water to decline to 50 percent had no adverse affect on yield or quality. CompendioLos productores de papa en el noroeste del Pacifico sufren grandes perdidas econOmicas en las temporadas con temperaturas por encima de lo normal, debido a un exceso de azticares reductores en los tuberculos, lo cual provoca un oscurecimiento en los extremos de las papas fritas a la francesa. El objetivo fue estudiar los efectos del manejo de la irrigaciOn sobre la calidad de la papa, en especial de los factores que causan el oscurecimiento de los extremos de las papas fritas a la francesa o sindrome de azticar terminal. Se establecieron parcelas irrigadas por un sistema solido de aspersion, para papas en Kimberly, Idaho durante las temporadas bajo riego de 1987, 1988 y 1989, y ana) y dos o tres cantidades de agua aplicada referidas a la evapotranspiraciOn estimada (ET, ET + 20%, y ET-20 %). Ni la frecuencia ni la cantidad afectaron significativamente los rendimientos. La frecuencia de riego tiene mayor influencia sobre la calidad de la papa que la cantidad aplicada. Riegos mas frecuentes dan lugar a tuberculos de calidad ligeramente superior y una menor incidencia de terminales oscuros cuando se les &ie. La temperatura del suelo estuvo inversamente relacionada al grado de calidad del tuberculo y directamente relacionada al porcentaje de tuberculos con el sindrome de azUcar terminal. La temperatura del suelo fue aproximadamente 0.5 C menor bajo alta frecuencia de riego comparada con aquella observada a baja frecuencia de riego. Los suelos de los lugares mencionados (migajones cenagosos) que permiten que el agua disponible disminuya hasta 50%, no tuvieron efecto adverso sobre el rendimiento o la calidad.

Comparison of Russet Burbank yield and quality under furrow and sprinkler irrigation

“…Soil temperatures were only slightly higher with furrow irrigation than with sprinkler irrigation, although this difference would likely be increased if sprinkler irrigation frequencies were shorter than with furrow irrigation (13).…”

“…High soil temperature during critical growth stages may be a contributing factor to sugar-end development in Russet Burbank potato (13,18). Soil temperatures were only slightly higher with furrow irrigation than with sprinkler irrigation, although this difference would likely be increased if sprinkler irrigation frequencies were shorter than with furrow irrigation (13).…”

The Relationship Between Soil Temperature and Sugar Ends in Potato

“…Krauss and Marschner (1984) reported that the temperature around individual tubers directly influenced starch deposition, with tubers exposed to 30°C having lower starch and higher sugar content than those at 20°C. Kincaid et al (1993) found a significant correlation between soil temperature at a depth of 15 cm and incidence of sugar ends in plots under different irrigation frequencies. In contrast, Sojka et al (1988) reported that row orientation and use of mulches significantly impacted soil temperature, but they could not consistently relate tuber quality or sugar ends incidence to the location of tubers in the row.…”

Bridging Dormancy Release and Apical Dominance in Potato Tuber

“…Cold-induced sweetening (CIS), a result of the accumulation of reducing sugars in cold-stored potato tubers, has been mainly studied for its relation to potato processing (Dale and Bradshaw 2003;Sowokinos 2001). Another form of reducing-sugar accumulation is sugar-end defect formation, which is typically associated with exposure of the plant to high temperatures during tuber initiation and bulking (Sowokinos et al 2000;Kincaid et al 1993). This form of reducing-sugar accumulation does not require low-temperature storage of tubers and cannot be removed by reconditioning at relatively warm temperatures, as can CIS (reviewed by Thompson et al 2008).…”