Potatoes sprouting tubers

Ideally, seed potato crops should be planted with sprouted tubers and at a high seed rate to produce a good yield of seed size tubers (25-50 mm). The haulm should be destroyed chemically, to reduce the risk of blight or vims transmission. 

Potatoes are tubers in which starch is stored and, depending mainly on the variety, they vary in shape (e g. round, oval, kidney, irregular) skin eolour (mainly cream and/or red) flesh colour (mainly cream or lemon) and depth of eyes (where sprouts develop). 

Potatoes will start to sprout after a long period in storage. This can be checked by spraying the freshly lifted tubers with a chemical sprout depressant. 

FARRE, E.M., BACHMANN, A., WILLMITZER, L., TRETHEWEY, R.N., Acceleration of potato tuber sprouting by the expression of a bacterial pyrophosphatase, Nature Biotech., 2001,19,268-72. 

Seed potatoes usually appear in nurseries, or are shipped by mailorder suppliers, in late winter to early spring, in order that they may be "chitted" for a few weeks before planting out. Lay out the tubers in shallow trays—egg cartons near right) are ideal. Place the end with the most "eyes" (dormant buds) uppermost. Put them in a light, warm place until they sprout. Once frost has become rare and the soil has warmed up, plant them out far right) with the sprouted end uppermost. 

The dose required to inhibit sprouting of onions, shallots, and garlics is 0.03-0.12 kGy. For good sprout control of tubers such as potatoes and yams, somewhat higher doses, 0.08-0.14 kGy, are required. Because of decreased wound-healing ability after irradiation, doses in excess of 0.15-0.2 kGy may induce increased microbial rot in storage [24]. 

Faueonnier, M. L., Welti, R., Blee, E., Marlier, M. (2003a). Lipid and oxylipin profiles during aging and sprout development in potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.). Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1633,118-126. 

Burton, W. G. (1968). The effect of oxygen eoncentration upon sprout growth on the potato tuber. European Potato Journal, 11,249-265. 

Celis-Gamboa, C., Struik, P. C., Jaeobsen, E., Visser, R. G. F. (2005). Sprouting of seed tubers during cold storage and its influenee on tuber formation, flowering and the duration of the life eyele in a diploid population of potato. Potato Research, 46(1-2), 9-25. 

Gubb, L, Moorby, J. (1995). The effects of controlled atmosphere storage on the sprouting of potato tubers. 

Isherwood, F. A., Burton, W. G. (1975). The elTect of senescence, handling, sprouting and chemical sprout suppression upon the respiratory quotient of stored potato tubers. Potato Research., 18, 98-104. 

Khanbari, O. S., Thompson, A. K. (1994). The effect of controlled atmosphere storage at 4°C on crisp color and on sprout growth, rotting and weight loss of potato tubers. Potato Research, 37, 291-300. 

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