The source-sink relationship determines crop yield, and it is largely regulated by water and nutrients in agricultural production. This has been widely investigated in cereals, but fewer studies have been conducted in root and tuber crops such as potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). The objective of this study was to investigate the source-sink relationship in potato and the regulation of water and n...

Our objective was to define sensitive morphological indicators that could be used to discriminate between drought sensitive and drought tolerant potato cultivars before final tuber yield is reached. A total of six potato cultivars contrasting for drought tolerance and earliness were subjected to three levels of water supply in two field trials in 1995 and 1996. We examined which parameter among...

This paper summarizes a series of field experiments that investigated the effects of organic and inorganic nutrients on sweet potato tuber yield in the humid lowlands of Papua New Guinea. In the first experiment, plots were planted with Piper aduncum, Gliricidia sepium and Imperata cylindrica, which were slashed after one year, whereafter sweet potato was planted. Sweet potato yield was lowest ...

The success of sustainable crop production depends on our ability to select or create varieties that can allocate resources to both growth and defence. However, breeding efforts have emphasized increases in yields but have partially neglected defence traits against pests. Estimating the costs of multiple defences against tuber herbivores and the tradeoffs among them, as well as understanding th...

The relative magnitude of general combining ability (gca) and specific combining ability (sca) effects in three generations (years), viz. Seedling (SG), first clonal generation (FCG) and second clonal generation (SCG) for tuber yield, tuber number, average tuber weight and tuber dry matter of potato in a line x tester mating design (10 × 4) was studied. There were marked differences in the gca ...

The aim of the research was to determine field, greenhouse and seed bed performance of plantlets derived from in vitro propagated plantlets of three potato cultivars. Generally, higher values were obtained from the mid-early maturing cultivar Marabel, compare to other cultivars (early cultivar Velox and and mid-early cultivar Concorde) for tuber yield, tuber number and average tuber weight. For...

Abstract Obtaining high potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber yield through increased number and weight of quality tubers is important for farmers while the quality factors are of interest for food processing industries. Potato processing industries require high quality tubers having the highest possible dry matter, starch and protein contents. A two-year field study was carried out as a factoria...