Modeling Long-Term Trends in Russet Burbank Potato Growth and Development in Wisconsin

Abstract

Improving understanding and prediction of the potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber size over the growing season is important due to its effects on crop price and marketing. Several models have been proposed to describe potato growth and development, but are based on short-term data and have little use for predicting yields or in-season management decisions. This analysis uses long-term data collected from 1979 to 1993 in central Wisconsin to describe growth and development of the Russet Burbank potato variety. This paper describes average number of potato tubers per plant and tuber length as influenced by thermal time and stem number per plant over 14 years. For each plant variable, data analysis uses multivariate techniques to fit a hierarchical logistic model with parameters potentially depending on stem number per plant. Analysis finds that the average number of potato tubers and average tuber length were affected by thermal time and stem number per plant. Estimated models are biologically relevant, provide an understanding of seasonal thermal variability and stem number per plant effects on average tuber set and growth, and can be used to describe yearly variation in average potato growth

Shorter fries? An alternative policy to support a reduction of nitrogen contamination from agricultural crop production

“…This potato is favored by the processing sector due largely to its suitability for French fries production, and is also popular in the table potato market. Price premiums are usually awarded to growers according to potato tuber size (Goeser et al, 2012). It is held widely that the demand of these potatoes, characterized by long tubers, is driven in part by the popularity of long fries at fast food chains.…”

Applying colour-based feature extraction and transfer learning to develop a high throughput inference system for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) stems with images from unmanned aerial vehicles after canopy consolidation

“…At the stem level, a negative correlation between potato stem density and mean tuber size has been widely recognized (Goeser et al, 2012;Mangani et al, 2015), and predictive models have been produced to describe potato tuber size distribution using stem density as a covariate (Bussan et al, 2007). To counteract the negative effect of stem density on average tuber size, several studies propose delayed harvesting to prolonging tuber bulking period as a strategy to increase tuber size (O'Brien & Allen, 1992;Rębarz et al, 2015;Waterer, 2007).…”

Cold-Weather Crop Suitability Modelling

“…Russet potato tuber numbers (A) and length (B) in relation to number of stems and increasing GDDs > 5˚C. Source: [32]. Also removed were all PAN areas intersected by the POC and AOI borders.…”