Yield and Yield Component Response of Eight Potato Genotypes to Water Stress

Abstract

The differential tolerance to moisture stress among potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) genotypes may be associated with differences in sensitivity during the ontogeny of yield development. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of a wide range of moisture stresses on the yield and components of yield of eight genotypes (‘Acadia Russet’, ‘Bintje’, ‘Jemseg’, ‘Kennebec’, ‘Raritan’, ‘Russet Burbank’, ‘Sable’, and ’Shepody’). The genotypes were subjected to three levels of soil moisture tension in 1983 (−30, −60, and −90 kPa) and four in 1984 (−30, −60, −90, and −120 kPa) at Vauxhall, Alberta on a Cavendish sandy loam (Brown Chernozemic) (fine‐loamy, mixed, frigid Ultic Haploxeralf). A mathematical model based on the method of path analysis was used to study the relationship between the components of yield and the overall response of the final tuber yield to moisture stress. Moisture stress treatments caused marked (P < 0.01) reductions in marketable yield, tuber number per stem and average tuber weight. Mainstem number was not affected. The genotypes ✕ stress interaction was significant (P < 0.05) in an analysis of variation (ANOVA) carried out over 2 yr. While analysis of the yield data using the model demonstrated that in general genotypes are very sensitive to moisture stress at both tuber initiation and at the tuber sizing growth stages, the greatest variability amongst genotypes in response to stress occurred at tuber sizing. Shepody, Russet Burbank, and Sable showed a strong sensitivity to stress in the tuber initiation phase while Jemseg, Acadia Russet, and Kennebec were more sensitive at tuber sizing. The study demonstrates differences in the structure of the response of the genotypes to moisture stress, measured in terms of the components of tuber yield, and indicates the importance of this information to ensure efficient moisture management.

The effect of drought and cultivar on growth parameters, yield and yield components of potato

“…Since total stem number was influenced only by drought and the mainstem number only by cultivar, as reported before by Iritani [15] and Lynch and Taî [22], a compensation of the main stems by secondary stems takes place in relation to environmental conditions. Total stem number was indeed shown to be affected by factors like ambient temperature [13] or growth regulators [26].…”

“…Total stem number was indeed shown to be affected by factors like ambient temperature [13] or growth regulators [26]. The mainstem number appears to be a varietal character, as reported by Lynch and Taî [22]. But it is also affected by other factors such as the length of presprouting period [2], size of seed tuber [14,37] and physiological age [15].…”

“…The stressed treatment was irrigated only when the soil water potential was lower than -0.8 MPa [1,22], and it received about 50% of the total quantity of water applied to the controls. Not only the amounts given, but also the frequency, differed between irrigated and stressed treatments.…”

“…IV). Indeed, the drought stress becomes intense on a potato culture as soon as the soil water potential reaches -0.8 MPa [1,22]. In the pot experiment of 1998, the stress in the drought treatment was continuous from the beginning of the cycle, and became intense at the start of stolonization (Tab.…”

Path analysis of genotype × environment interaction in wheat-barley disomic addition lines

“…X→Y→Z→W. This sequential relationship between yield and yield components was developed into a working model for the investigation of crop yields by Tai (1975), and has been shown to provide a powerful tool for studying G × E interactions (Tai, 1979;Lynch and Tai, 1989;Tai et al, 1994;Fagam et al, 2006;Hui et al, 2008;Das and Taliaferro, 2009;Yasin and Singh, 2010).…”