Potato Minituber Production Under Hydroponic Sand Culture

Abstract

Isolation and use of sterile growing media are two important factors in hydroponic production of healthy potato mini-tubers. Sand can be disinfected by solarization, while organic growing media may harbor some pathogenic agents. Under hydroponic condition, number and size of potato tubers are usually controlled by nutritional factors such as nitrogen, phosphorus and pH. The main objective of present study was to find an appropriate combination of N, P and pH (with respect to tuber number) under hydroponic sand culture and to evaluate some physiological traits affected by nutrients and pH. A factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with 4 replications was conducted. The experimental factors included N, P and pH. Some morphological and physiological traits including tuber number, rate of net photosynthesis, concentration of hormones ABA and IAA were studied. Results showed that higher phosphorus concentration for 10 days increased tuber number per plant, but tuberization was not influenced by nitrogen interruption and intermittent reduction of pH. None of N, P and pH affected total nitrogen concentration of potato leaf, stem and tuber. Higher phosphorus concentration increased the level of endogenous ABA and IAA, induced tuberization and thereby increased net photosynthesis rate of potato plants.

Physiological Response and Photosynthate Distribution of West Indian Arrowroot at Different Altitudes

“…tuber enlargement. The increased demand of photosynthate in the tuber sink might have caused the raising of photosynthesis rate (Darvishi, 2016). Thus, the lower stomatal con-ductance and sink strength at 2 MAP became factors that limited potosynthesis rate in the lowland.…”