Crop Cycle Length Determines Optimal Transplanting Date for Seedlings from Hybrid True Potato Seeds

Abstract

The technology of hybrid breeding in diploid potatoes creates opportunities to design novel and improved cultivation systems based on hybrid true potato seeds. A promising cultivation pathway to produce seed or ware tubers is by transplanting greenhouse-raised seedlings into the field. This study explored the effects of transplanting date and seedling age on tuber yield, using greenhouse-raised seedlings. Field trials with experimental hybrid genotypes were conducted in three consecutive years. In 2017 and 2018, 4- and 6-week-old seedlings were transplanted at four dates: March, April, May and June. In 2019, transplanting dates included April, May and June and seedling age was 5 weeks. In 2018, the March planting experienced severe frost during the initial field period resulting in crop failure. In 2017 and 2019, plants could withstand shorter and less severe frost events. Seedling age did not significantly affect tuber parameters. Transplanting in June resulted in lower marketable yield (> 28 mm) compared with earlier transplanting dates when crops were harvested in September. At full crop senescence, no differences in marketable yield were observed. The optimal transplanting window, taking into account weather-related risks, is approximately between early April and end May. For some genotypes, crop cycle length was observed to be a more important yield-determining factor than transplanting date.

Aptitud Del Territorio De Apurímac Para El Cultivo De Papa

“…En cuanto a los criterios climáticos de temperatura (26 %) y precipitación (16 %), la temperatura tiene mayor importancia en este estudio; esto se debe a que está asociada a la presencia de enfermedades (Bourke, 1993) y riesgos climáticos como heladas (van Dijk et al, 2022). El cultivo de papa requiere entre 400-1200 mm durante todo el año (Mandal et al, 2020) y es de gran importancia en los diferentes periodos de crecimiento (Jiang & Yang, 2022).…”

Converting Hybrid Potato Breeding Science into Practice

“…In recent years, the use of field transplanted, nursery-raised, hybrid potato seedlings has been tested as a potential alternative system for seed and ware potato production [ 54 ]. Ultimately, to obtain a highly productive transplanted crop, aspects of seedling production, field establishment and transplant field crop management need be considered and successfully executed [ 55 ].…”

“…Transplanting densities of 25 and 50 plants m −2 resulted in optimum tubers yields in contrasting planting systems. We observed that tuber-size distribution was affected having an increasing share of large-sized tubers when planting density decreases [ 54 ]. Timing of transplants in spring and stage of the transplant are important new agronomic decisions that need to be taken.…”

“…With these studies, we have shown the feasibility of the field transplanted systems. On the other hand, the transplanting system faces various challenges, and more importantly, the longer growing period in the field which influences tuberisation and tuber bulking as well as the timing of the moment of harvest [ 54 ].…”

“…In one, two or three seasons ware tubers can be produced. Transplanted seedlings were investigated by Van Dijk et al [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Seedling tubers for ware production were investigated by Stockem et al, 2020 [ 56 ].…”