Environmental Conditions After Planting Affect the Expression of Differences in Tuber Formation of In Vitro-Derived Potato Plantlets from Different Ages and Cultivars

Abstract To identify if and how the age of in vitro potato plantlets at planting affects later tuber formation, an extensive pot experiment was performed under controlled conditions. In vitro-derived different ages (14, 28, 42 56 days old planting) cultivars varying maturity type (Gloria, very early; Bintje, mid-early; Elkana, late) were grown after for 10 weeks photo/thermoperiods 16 h (standard conditions) or 12 (short-day conditions). Plants raised from older produced higher total dry weights, harvest index fresh weights than plants younger when standard conditions planting. By contrast, not affected by plantlet short-day The number tubers per plant increased with increase oldest classes early cultivar Short-day resulted fewer, but larger Results support ideas that (1) earlier maturing are more advanced formation process; however, this may benefit yield only strongly inducing tuberization, (2) numbers can be achieved below-ground nodes—as plantlets—and/or less strong induction—as (16-h vs. 12-h), plantlets.