This study aimed to investigate the relationship between low seed set and abnormal embryo sacs lacking normal female organs, such as one egg cell, two assistant cells, polar nuclei, in Ipomoea trifida, which is closely related sweet potato, potato cultivars lines, through histological analysis of their ovaries on flowering day. Ovaries diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid lines I. trifida each had fo...

BACKGROUND The species diversity of aphids and seasonal timing of their flight activity can have significant impacts on crop production, as aphid species differ in their ability to transmit plant viruses and flight timing affects virus epidemiology. The aim of the study was to characterise the species composition and phenology of aphid fauna in Finland in one of the northernmost intensive crop ...

Based on international findings, Irish co-existence guidelines for the cultivation of GM potato stipulate that an isolation distance of 20 m is required to minimize the spread of transgenic pollen in accordance with required labeling thresholds. As potato tolerant to Phytophthora infestans is the most applicable GM crop from an Irish context, we tested the efficacy of this isolation distance un...

Abstract Potato production in low-income countries is threatened by seed degeneration, i.e., the accumulation of seed-borne diseases and pests potato tubers when these are vegetatively propagated over consecutive cycles, leading to a reduction quality yielding ability. Agroecological settings recycling (on-farm propagation cycles) determine process degeneration. However, it poorly understood ho...

Dormancy is one aspect of tuber physiological age that begins with potato tuber initiation. During dormancy, biochemical and physiological processes do occur but they do not trigger immediate morphological changes, yet these processes are relevant for the number of sprouts produced after breaking of the dormancy and for the growth vigour of the seed tuber. This review article reports that dorma...