The inhibition of potato sprout growth by light.

When potato seed tubers (Solanum tuberosum cv. Pentland Javelin) were stored in darkness or diffuse daylight at 9°C and transferred at intervals to conditions suitable for sprouting, their capacity for sprout growth was unaffected by the presence or absence of light during previous storage. When similar tubers were stored at 10°C, 18°C or 25°C, sprout growth commenced earliest at 25°C, but the date was unaffected by fluorescent light. It was concluded that light did not affect the length of the dormant period, but only the rate of sprout elongation after that period had ceased. When tubers with growing sprouts at 10°C or 18°C were transferred from darkness into fluorescent light, sprout growth virtually ceased. Transfer from light into darkness resulted in immediate sprout growth, at a rate comparable with tubers stored continuously in the dark. Tubers of three Peruvian cultivars, stored in farm-scale diffuse-daylight stores, grew progressively shorter sprouts with increasing daily exposure to light from 30 min to 12 h. Storage of cv. Wilja under 21 Wm^-2 (total) of white fluorescent light for 10 h per day maintained the sprouts at the same length as ten times this light intensity for 1 h per day. In a subsequent experiment with cv. Bintje the 10 h, low-intensity light regime gave slightly shorter sprouts. It appeared that the total light energy falling on the tubers was the dominant factor controlling sprout growth.     

Effect of low temperature on the activity of phosphofructokinase from potato tubers

The aim of this work was to compare the coldlability of phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11) from tubers of potato cultivars (cvs.) known to differ in their propensity to accumulate sugars at low temperature. When stored at 4°C for six weeks, the sugar content of tubers ofSolanum tuberosum L. cv. Record doubled whereas the amount of sugar in tubers of cv. Brodick and an advanced breeding clone (13676) decreased slightly. Tubers from each line contained four forms of phophofructokinase. Over the range 12°–16°C the temperature coefficients of the four forms of phosphofructokinase from cvs. Record and Brodick were similar. In cv. Record the temperature coefficients of three of the enzyme forms were significantly higher at 2°–6°C than at 12°–16°C, whereas those from cv. Brodick were unchanged. These results are consistent with the proposal that inactivation of phosphofructokinase at low temperature results in the accumulation of hexose phosphates leading to increased sucrose synthesis.     

An ultrastructural study of bruising in stored potato (Solarium tuberosum L.) tubers

Potato tubers of the cultivar Pentland Dell were investigated for ultrastructural changes following impact. Studies were carried out on tubers after 12 and 24 wk of storage using a falling bolt delivering 0.7 J of energy. Ultra-thin sections were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy. Tubers stored for 12 wk exhibited no visual bruise formation, whereas visible bruising resulted following impact of tubers stored for 24 wk. An ultrastructural sequence of events during bruising was established as (1) a collapse of intracellular compartmentation, (2) increased ribosomal and mitochondrial abundance within the cytoplasm, (3) increased density of cytoplasm adjacent to the cell wall and surrounding amyloplasts, and (4) the development of melanin in bruised cells. These observations are discussed in relation to tuber turgor and physiology during storage.     

In vitro conservation of chestnut (Castanea sativa) by slow growth

Slow growth storage has been achieved for Castanea sativa (cv. ‘Montemarano’) shoot cultures over a duration of 48 mo at a temperature of 8°C, where 82% of explants survived and were able to resume normal growth after transfer to standard culture conditions at 23°C. The evaluation of the chlorophyll content of leaves also showed no differences between material stored for 48 mo and control material subcultured at 23°C. With a storage temperature of 4°C, the survival of shoots was significantly lower at approximately 56% after 12 mo, and no plants recovered after 24-mo storage. The presence of 6-benzyladenine 0.44 μM in the culture medium proved to be necessary for the recovery of healthy shoots, while pre-treatments with different concentrations of abscisic acid did not significantly influence the survival of shoots following storage conditions. A low level of light during slow growth storage resulted in positive effects on the rate of shoot survival over the longest preservation periods.     

Effects of delaying fungicide treatment on the incidence of gangrene in stored potato tubers

Potato titbers infested with Phoma exigua var. foveata were uniformly wounded and sprayed or dipped in fungicide suspensions either immediately or after periods of up to 21 days' storage at 5, 10, 15 or 20 °C. Tubers were then stored at 5 °C and gangrene assessed after 12 wk. Incidence of gangrene on untreated tubers was progressively decreased by increasing the length of storage at 15 or 20° (curing) but was not affected by 3 days' storage at any temperature. Fungicide treatment immediately after wounding gave best control of the disease; treatment after 3 days' delay was less effective and after 14 or 21 days was usually ineffective. Gangrene was decreased by fungicides more on tubers stored for 3 or 7 days at 5 °C than at higher temperatures. Control of gangrene by curing or fungicides diminished when the amount of inoculum on tubers was increased. Increasing the amount of fungicide applied improved control and fungicides were more effective in decreasing gangrene on cut and crush wounds than on cut wounds. At the arbitrary concentrations used in these experiments imazalil gave better disease control than thiabendazole, prochloraz, carbendazim plus quinolin 8-ol or triadimefon.     

Encapsulation, cold storage, and growth of Hibiscus moscheutos nodal segments

Nodal segments of Hibiscus moscheutos (hardy hibiscus) were excised from proliferating axillary shoot cultures and encapsulated in high density sodium alginate hardened by 50 mM CaCl₂. Nodal segments 4 mm long grew as well as and were easier to encapsulate than 8 mm long nodal segments. Although nodal segments grew regardless of the concentration of sodium alginate, 2.75% was determined to produce the highest quality encapsulated nodal segments beads (sufficient alginate coating and ease of use) because of the viscosity produced by the 2.75% sodium alginate solution. When encapsulated segments were stored at 5°C they did not grow in light or darkness. During the first month on fresh proliferation medium under normal incubation conditions following 5°C storage in the dark for up to 24 weeks, root number and root and shoot elongation were inhibited linearly as storage time increased. All encapsulated nodal segments survived 24 weeks of 5°C storage in two separate experiments. In fact, 80% of encapsulated hardy hibiscus nodal segments survived refrigerated storage for 1½ years (78 weeks) and after 3 months on proliferation medium, the nodal segments produced nearly the same length axillary shoots with the same number of axillary nodes per shoot as compared to encapsulated segments either not stored at 5°C or stored for 24 weeks at 5°C. Growth from encapsulated and cold-stored ‘Lord Baltimore’ nodal segments was more vigorous than from ‘Southern Belle’ nodal segments.     

Induced Resistance to Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica, Through the Treatment of Surface Wounds of Potato Tubers with Elicitors

We have investigated the ability of mixed oligogalacturonides, a cell wall hydrolysate from Phytophthora sojae Hildebrand, and chitosan oligomers to induce resistance to Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica in potato tubers (cv. Pentland Squire). Natural infection by Erwinia in stored potatoes generally originates in the surface tissues which have a markedly different biochemical composition to the perimedullary tissue. We therefore investigated the effect of different elicitors in inducing resistance in 2 mm deep wounds made on the surface of potato tubers. When wounded in this way and stored at 20°C and 100% relative humidity, tubers developed a significant level of natural resistance within 24 h. When the potatoes were treated with oligogalacturonides, or Phytophthora cell wall hydrolysate at the time of wounding and challenged with inoculum 8 h later, a significant reduction in disease occurred. Treatment with the chitosan elicitor had no effect on resistance.     

Transmission of Fusarium solani var. coeruleum and F. sulphureum from seed potatoes to progeny tubers in the field

In experiments in three years, seed tubers were inoculated before planting with either Fusarium solani var. coeruleum or F. sulphureum to initiate a rot, or were contaminated by dipping in soil slurries containing spore suspensions of one or other of the pathogens. Transmission to progeny tubers was tested by uniformly wounding and incubating tubers and by dilution plating of soil samples. In two years, transmission of F. sulphureum was greater from highly contaminated than from rotting seed and was greater on cv. Pentland Crown than on cvs Desiree and Maris Piper. F. solani var. coeruleum appeared to be transmitted most readily from rotting seed and Maris Piper was the cultivar most extensively contaminated. In experiments with different harvest dates, transmission of both fungi from highly contaminated seed could be detected by late June or mid-July. More progeny tuber wounds rotted in F. sulphureum than in F. solani var. coeruleum plots and in one year, F. sulphureum caused more rots on cv. Record than on cv. Maris Piper. These differences between the pathogens may be related to their differing abilities to sporulate underground on the surface of seed tubers and on stem bases.     

Effect of a granulovirus on mortality and dispersal of potato tuber worm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in refrigerated storage warehouse conditions

Potato tuber worm (PTW), Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller), is a world-wide pest of potato. In rustic stores, PTW larvae can infest 100% of stored tubers. Treatment of tubers in rustic stores with the PTW granulovirus (PoGV) has been demonstrated to protect stored tubers. This is the first study to show the effects of PoGV for protection of tubers stored in refrigerated warehouse conditions. Tubers were treated by dipping in aqueous suspensions of PoGV or water. An estimated 0.0819 larval equivalents of virus or 1.88×10⁹ viral occlusion bodies were deposited on each kilogram of tubers. They were held at 16°C for 11 days before lowering the temperature by 0.5°C per day until 10°C was reached. The tubers were stored at this temperature for 53 days. Mean numbers of infested tubers at the end of the assay was affected by both pre-infestation rate and virus treatment. Mean numbers of infested tubers in the control treatment was 3 tubers per chamber higher than in the virus treatment providing strong evidence that PoGV controlled larvae and minimized spread into un-infested tubers. Of the larvae that were retrieved in virus-treated infested tubers, the mean mortality was 87% compared to 37% in controls.     

Viability of plum ovules at different temperatures

The viability of ovules was studied in five plum cultivars under laboratory conditions at four constant temperatures: 5°C, 10°C, 15°C and 20°C and under field conditions over two years. During 10 days from the onset of full bloom, ovule viability in cvs ‘?a?anska Rana’, ‘?a?anska Najbolja’ and ‘?a?anska Lepotica’ was between 80–100 % at the temperatures of 5°C, 10°C and 15°C, in both years. In the same period, ovule viability in cvs ‘Wangenheims Frühzwetsche’ and ‘Po?ega?a’ was lower, but never below 50%. At the constant temperature of 20°C, all plum cultivars showed a decline in longevity of ovule viability, which was pronounced in cv. ‘?a?anska Rana’. During the 10 days from the onset of full bloom, ovule viability in all five plum cultivars under field conditions showed a high viability, which approximated to the ovule viability of the cultivars at the constant temperatures of 5°C, 10°C and 15°C, in both years. Determination of the longevity of ovule viability in the mentioned plum cultivars is of great importance due to its effect on the effective pollination period and fertilisation success. This paper deals in detail with the interrelations between the temperature effects on ovule viability, pollen tube growth and fertilisation, as well as on fruit setting.     

Evidence that Tuber Respiration is the Pacemaker of Physiological Aging in Seed Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Storage temperatures greater than 4 °C (that is, heat-unit accumulation) increase respiration and accelerate physiological aging of seed tubers. The degree of apical dominance is a good indicator of physiological age (PAGE). As seed age advances, apical dominance decreases, resulting in more stems, greater tuber set, and shifts in tuber size distribution. Herein we provide evidence that tuber respiration rate may constitute the “pacemaker” of aging. Tubers exposed to a brief high-temperature age-priming treatment initially in storage, followed by holding at 4 °C for the remainder of a 190–200-day storage period, maintained a higher basal metabolic (respiration) rate throughout storage compared with tubers stored the entire season at 4 °C. Tubers thus “remembered” the age-priming treatment as reflected by their elevated respiration rate. Moreover, reducing the respiration rate of age-primed seed by subsequently storing it at 3.5 % O₂ (4 °C) until planting significantly attenuated the effects of the aging treatment on apical dominance, tuber set, and size distribution. The effect of the age-priming treatment on the magnitude of the respiratory response was the same whether given at the beginning or toward the end of storage. However, moving the age-priming treatment progressively later in the storage season effectively decreased its impact on plant growth and development. These results underscore the importance of time in the aging process. Exposure of seed to a high-temperature age-priming treatment at the beginning or end of storage elevated respiration (the pacemaker) to the same extent; however, the timing of these treatments resulted in vastly different physiological ages. The longer the respiration rate of tubers remains at an elevated level, the greater their PAGE at planting. Thus, an accurate but impractical measure of PAGE may be the respiratory output from vine kill to subsequent planting. Respiration appears to be the pacemaker of PAGE and production, and storage conditions that affect respiration may “set the clock speed” that will ultimately determine the PAGE at planting.     

Translucent tissue defect in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers is associated with oxidative stress accompanying an accelerated aging phenotype

Translucent tissue defect (TTD) is an undesirable postharvest disorder of potato tubers characterized by the development of random pockets of semi-transparent tissue containing high concentrations of reducing sugars. Translucent areas turn dark during frying due to the Maillard reaction. The newly released cultivar, Premier Russet, is highly resistant to low temperature sweetening, but susceptible to TTD. Symptoms appeared as early as 170 days after harvest and worsened with time in storage (4–9 °C, 95 % RH). In addition to higher concentrations of glucose, fructose and sucrose, TTD resulted in lower dry matter, higher specific activities of starch phosphorylase and glc-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, higher protease activity, loss of protein, and increased concentrations of free amino acids (esp. asparagine and glutamine). The mechanism of TTD is unknown; however, the disorder has similarities with the irreversible senescent sweetening that occurs in tubers during long-term storage, where much of the decline in quality is a consequence of progressive increases in oxidative stress with advancing age. The respiration rate of non-TTD ‘Premier Russet’ tubers was inherently higher (ca. 40 %) than that of ‘Russet Burbank’ tubers (a non-TTD cultivar). Moreover, translucent tissue from ‘Premier Russet’ tubers had a 1.9-fold higher respiration rate than the average of non-translucent tissue and tissue from non-TTD tubers. Peroxidation of membrane lipids during TTD development resulted in increased levels of malondialdehyde and likely contributed to a measurable increase in membrane permeability. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities and the ratio of oxidized to total glutathione were substantially higher in translucent tissue. TTD tubers also contained twofold less ascorbate than non-TTD tubers. TTD appears to be a consequence of oxidative stress associated with accelerated aging of ‘Premier Russet’ tubers.     

In-season heat stress compromises postharvest quality and low-temperature sweetening resistance in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Key message

High soil temperature during bulking and maturation of potatoes alters postharvest carbohydrate metabolism to attenuate genotypic resistance to cold-induced sweetening and accelerate loss of process quality.

Abstract

The effects of soil temperature during tuber development on physiological processes affecting retention of postharvest quality in low-temperature sweetening (LTS) resistant and susceptible potato cultivars were investigated. ‘Premier Russet’ (LTS resistant), AO02183-2 (LTS resistant) and ‘Ranger Russet’ (LTS susceptible) tubers were grown at 16 (ambient), 23 and 29 °C during bulking (111–164 DAP) and maturation (151–180 DAP). Bulking at 29 °C virtually eliminated yield despite vigorous vine growth. Tuber specific gravity decreased as soil temperature increased during bulking, but was not affected by temperature during maturation. Bulking at 23 °C and maturation at 29 °C induced higher reducing sugar levels in the proximal (basal) ends of tubers, resulting in non-uniform fry color at harvest, and abolished the LTS-resistant phenotype of ‘Premier Russet’ tubers. AO02183-2 tubers were more tolerant of heat for retention of LTS resistance. Higher bulking and maturation temperatures also accelerated LTS and loss of process quality of ‘Ranger Russet’ tubers, consistent with increased invertase and lower invertase inhibitor activities. During LTS, tuber respiration fell rapidly to a minimum as temperature decreased from 9 to 4 °C, followed by an increase to a maximum as tubers acclimated to 4 °C; respiration then declined over the remaining storage period. The magnitude of this cold-induced acclimation response correlated directly with the extent of buildup in sugars over the 24-day LTS period and thus reflected the effects of in-season heat stress on propensity of tubers to sweeten and lose process quality at 4 °C. While morphologically indistinguishable from control tubers, tubers grown at elevated temperature had different basal metabolic (respiration) rates at harvest and during cold acclimation, reduced dormancy during storage, greater increases in sucrose and reducing sugars and associated loss of process quality during LTS, and reduced ability to improve process quality through reconditioning. Breeding for retention of postharvest quality and LTS resistance should consider strategies for incorporating more robust tolerance to in-season heat stress.     

Coiled-sprout in the potato: the effect of various storage and planting conditions

The incidence of coiled-sprout was determined in Scotch and local-grown Arran Pilot and Duke of York seed tubers which had been stored at 10°, 4° and 15° C. and in a farm store with no temperature control. All four tuber types were planted in the field and, in addition, the two types of Duke of York were planted in Perlite at 7°, 10° and 15° C. In the field, and when maintained at 7° and 10° C, the percentage of sprouts coiling and the intensity of coiling was greater in tubers stored at 10° and 15° C. than at 4° C. There was no coiling when the Duke of York tubers were planted at 15° C. In a further experiment tubers were stored at 20° C. in the light and dark and samples were planted monthly for 3 months at temperatures of 7°, 10° and 15° C. During the following 3-month period only light-stored were planted because of the excessive amount of tip-death in the tubers stored in the dark. There was very little coiling in the dark-stored tubers. In the first two plantings of the light-stored tubers there was virtually no coiling of those planted at 15° C. There was some, however, at 7° and 10° C. In subsequent plantings there was more coiling and no effect of planting temperature. Attempts to isolate Verticiculum nubilum from sprouts were successful in only a small percentage of attempts and it was not possible to demonstrate any difference between its distribution on coiled and normal sprouts. It was not possible to induce coiling by infection of sprouts with spores of V. nubilum. Over a wide range of sprout sizes the amount of coiling was a function of sprout size at planting. However, the parts which coiled were those in the apical bud of the sprout at the time of planting and hence contributed only a small amount to the total sprout size. It is likely, therefore, that the correlation between coiling and sprout size reflects the changing metabolism of the elongating regions of sprouts with their increase in length, these regions developing in such a way as to produce a greater tendency to coiling. The internal reactions concerned in these changes, however, are not known.     

Controlled atmosphere storage of winter white cabbage

In four laboratory experiments and five commercial scale trials carried out between 1977 and 1979, five cvs of winter white cabbage were stored at 0–2 °C for 29–43 wk in controlled atmospheres (C A) consisting of c. 5–6% CO₂, 3% O₂ and the remainder N., or in air. The incidence of rots caused by Botrytis cinerea was reduced and the incidence of ‘pepper-spotting’ (a non-microbial leaf necrosis disorder) was reduced or eliminated by storage in CA. Storage and trimming weight losses were lower and the recoveries of trimmed cabbage suitable for marketing or processing up to 22% higher in cabbage stored in CA than in those stored in air. Sensory assessments of four cvs tested indicated that CA-stored cabbages retained their green colour, crisp texture and fresh flavour better than the corresponding air-stored samples.     

Fungus diseases on potato seed tubers planted in England and Wales, 1963-76

During 1963-76 samples of potato tubers from commercial seed stocks of cvs King Edward (14 yr), Pentland Crown (9 yr), Majestic (7 yr), Pentland Dell (3 yr), Record and Arran Pilot (2 yr) were received from farms in England and Wales. Fifty tubers from each sample were examined macroscopically for fungus diseases and eyes were excised from a 20-tuber sub-sample, incubated and examined for pathogenic fungi; 50 tubers were stored on trays to sprout and examined for diseases and sprouting in May and in most years samples of 50 tubers were wounded by dropping onto expanded metal, stored at 5° C and examined for gangrene and dry rot after 12 wk. Amounts of disease varied between years and during 14 yr black scurf and powdery scab on King Edward tended to increase and skin spot and late blight decrease. On average 44% of King Edward tubers were affected with skin spot, 25% with black scurf and 16% with powdery scab. Gangrene affected 5% of tubers and 97% of the isolates from rots were identified as Phoma exigua var. foveata. Wounding tubers increased the incidence of gangrene three-fold. During 1963-69 late blight affected 2% of King Edward tubers but fewer in later years and in other cultivars. Majestic had most common scab (44% tubers) and Arran Pilot most dry rot (9% tubers) and this disease was increased by wounding tubers. Conidiophores of Helminthosporium solani (silver scurf) were more common on excised eyes of Pentland Crown, Record and Arran Pilot than of other cultivars, and isolations from verticillate conidiophores that developed on the side of incubated eye plugs of King Edward and Majestic stocks gave pure cultures of Verticillium tricorpus (78%), V. nigrescens (9%) and V. nubilum (3%). Proportions of tubers with different diseases were affected by their country of origin; Scottish seed had most skin spot and gangrene, Irish seed most powdery scab and English seed most common scab, late blight and H. solani. There was also evidence of differing disease incidence in seed from different geographical areas in Scotland and England. Up to half the King Edward and Pentland Crown stocks examined in 1975 and 1976 were derived from stem cuttings and average amounts of diseased tubers were similar to those in stocks not derived from stem cuttings. Annual and cultivar differences in disease incidence and effects of date of receipt of seed on farms are discussed.     

Effects of dual infections of Puccinia hordei and Erysiphe graminis on barley, cv. Zephyr

Seed tubers of the varieties King Edward, Majestic and Pentland Crown selected as ‘clean’ (lesion-free), moderately, or severely affected by gangrene lesions were planted in field experiments. Infection delayed plant emergence, increased the number of stems/plant, sometimes caused gaps in crops and was associated with increased blackleg. On average severely affected seed yielded 20% less than ‘clean’ seed. Seed infection also increased the proportion of tubers in smaller size grades so that crops from severely infected King Edward seed averaged 1·4 ton/acre (3·5 t/ha) less small ware and 2·5 ton/acre (6·3 t/ha) less large ware than ‘clean’ seed. With Majestic, small ware was increased (0·7 ton/acre (1·8 t/ha)) and large ware decreased (4·4 ton/acre(11·0 t/ha)); Pentland Crown was similarly affected (small ware increased 0·8 ton/acre (2·0 t/ha); large ware decreased 3·9 ton/acre (9·8 t/ha)). In eight of twelve experiments unselected diseased stocks yielded significantly less than ‘clean’ tubers. Other experiments compared seed stocks with different proportions of gangrene-infected seed tubers. Yields decreased as the proportion of diseased seed tubers increased, but differences were significant only when more than 60% were affected. Surprisingly, yields from ‘clean’ tubers also decreased as the proportion of diseased tubers increased in the stocks from which they were selected. Gangrene on progeny tubers after storage was not always related to the amount of gangrene visible on the seed. It was increased by riddling or wounding and decreased by dipping tubers in organo-mercury fungicide before or soon after wounding.     

Development of black dot disease (Colletotrichum coccodes (Wallr.) Hughes) and its effects on the growth and yield of potato plants

Seed tubers of cvs Désirée and Pentland Crown with different severities of black dot were planted in 1988 and 1989 at Rothamsted in fields in 4– or 7-course rotations, respectively. Tubers treated with prochloraz (1988) or imazalil (1989) were planted in some plots, and in others Colletotrichum coccodes inoculum was added to the soil at planting. In further experiments at Mepal, Cambridgeshire in 1989 and 1990 and at Rothamsted in 1990 on sites where potatoes had not been grown for more than 15 years, large amounts of inoculum were added to the soil around disease-free seed tubers of two (1989) or three (1990) cultivars at planting. In all experiments plants were sampled during the season and the effects of treatments on disease development, growth and yield were recorded. Disease on roots, stem bases and tubers was found early in the season and was more severe on Désirée than on Pentland Crown plants from fields in 4– or 7-course rotations. Severity increased throughout the season and with increasing amounts of disease on the seed tubers, especially with Desiree. Disease was also found on plants from disease-free tubers and was more severe in 1988 than 1989. At harvest, black dot on tubers was significantly more severe from severely affected than from disease-free seed, and was most severe where inoculum, especially large amounts, had been added at planting. Fungicide treatment decreased disease early in the season but had no effect on tuber infection at harvest. In 1989 the weight loss of seed tubers during sprouting increased with increasing amounts of black dot, but the disease had little effect on plant size through the season. At harvest the yield of ware tubers (>50 mm) decreased with severe disease but total tuber yields were not significantly affected. However, at harvest in 1988 severely affected seed yielded significantly less than healthy seed. Plants grown from mini-tubers were free from disease on sites where potatoes had not been grown for at least 15 years. Inoculum applied at planting caused severe disease on all cultivars in both years, whereas disease was slight on uninoculated plants. Inoculated plants senesced early at Mepal in 1990, but there were no significant differences in total tuber yield in any experiment. However, yields of ware tubers (>50 mm) were sometimes decreased and the total tuber number per plant increased.     

The microclimate under coloured hailnets affects leaf and fruit temperature, leaf anatomy, vegetative and reproductive growth as well as fruit colouration in apple

The purpose of this study was to investigate supposedly positive biological effects of coloured hailnets on microclimate, including photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), UV-B, air, soil, fruit and leaf temperature as well as humidity, which in turn may affect leaf anatomy, tree growth and fruit quality; apple was chosen as a model crop at Klein-Altendorf near Bonn, Germany; adjacent uncovered trees served as control. Red and green hailnets transmitted 3–6% more red or green light, without alteration of the red:far red (R–666 nm:FR–730 nm) ratio (0.99–1.01:1) and hence without affecting the phytochrome system. The microclimate was changed with a reduction by 12–23% in PAR and, to a larger extent, by 20–28% in UV, viz. shading. Light measurements at a 45° angle, to mimic the fruit or leaf position, showed that PAR was 90–210 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ larger outside on a sunny summer day than under the white or red-white and 150–340 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ larger than under red-black and green-black hailnets. Air temperature and relative humidity under coloured hailnets decreased by ca. 1.3°C and by ca 2% rh (cloudy) to 5% rh (sunny day), respectively, compared with outside; leaf temperature was decreased by up to 3°C and fruit temperature by up to 6°C. Soil temperatures at 5 cm depth were 0.5–1°C colder under red-black and green-black hailnets, but up to 0.9°C warmer under white and red-white hailnets compared with the uncovered control outside. Alternate bearing had a larger impact on vegetative growth in the affected year than the coloured hailnets; annual trunk diameter increments in cv. ‘Fuji’, i.e. the variety susceptible to alternate bearing, showed a larger variation than cv. ‘Pinova’ without alternate bearing. Reproductive growth, viz. return bloom and leaf anatomy were impaired by the coloured hailnets. Apple trees under dark hailnets developed thinner leaves with a thinner epidermis and fewer layers of palisade cells. These leaves were 3.5°C (dark hailnets) and 2.5°C (white hailnets) cooler than outside on a sunny day compared with ca. 1.5°C (dark hailnets) and 0.85°C (white hailnets) on a cloudy day. Transpirational cooling of cv. ‘Fuji’ leaves was 0.3–0.6°C outside and 1.4–1.6°C under the green-black hailnet on sunny days compared to <0.1°C on cloudy days. As a practical application, apple fruit colouration was dependent on light (PAR and UV-B) transmission of the respective hailnet colour.     

Healthier seed potatoes. I. Effects of inoculating stem cutting stocks with Polyscytalum pustulans and Rhizoctonia solani on growth, yield and disease

Potato seed tubers of seven cultivars derived from stem cuttings in 1965 (healthier seed) were grown in 1969–72 at two sites, one clay with flints soil (Rothamsted) and the other sandy loam soil (Woburn). Inoculating sprouted tubers at planting with Polyscytalum pustulans did not affect the number of stems/plant or total yield but increased stem base and tuber infection. The yields of large tubers (57–83 cm) were increased and small tubers (>57 cm) decreased, indicating a decrease in tuber numbers. Rhizoctonia solani inoculated at planting decreased numbers of stems/plant and yield by up to 14% at Woburn but not at Rothamsted. At both sites, yields of large tubers were increased with cvs Majestic and Record and decreased with Pentland Crown. Stem canker and tuber infection were increased but infection was also prevalent on tubers from non-inoculated seed at Woburn. When both pathogens were inoculated together yields of large tubers were increased in cvs King Edward, Majestic and Record and decreased in Pentland Crown. Infection of stem bases and tubers was sometimes less than when either pathogen was inoculated singly.