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Manipulating Aeroponically Grown Potatoes with Gibberellins and Calcium Nitrate

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Abstract

Maximizing tuber number and yield in an aeroponics production system is imperative to make it cost effective and to make the best use of all facilities and inputs. Manipulating the plants hormonal makeup is a strategy. GA3(GA), Calcium Nitrate(CaN) and their combination were foliarly applied several times to potato plants of cvs. Favorita and Mira during both the autumn and spring growing seasons in a semi tropical setting in Sichuan. A contrasting treatment of an anti-gibberellin(Anti) was also studied in both seasons. Significant differences in plants height, stem diameter, chlorophyll content, leaf area index, the number of stolons, the number of stolon branches and tuber production were observed among different treatments and cultivars. For the cv. Favorita, CaN + GA and GA increased tuber weight per plant by 63 and 49% in autumn and 53 and 73% in spring respectively as compared to the control(CK); tuber number per plant under CaN + GA and GA treatments increased by 90 and 85% in autumn and 35 and 52% in spring respectively. For cv. Mira, the trend was similar but not as dramatic. Tuber numbers over 1400 per square meter were harvested with cv. Mira during the spring season with the GA and CaN + GA treatments.

Resumen

La maximización del número de tubérculos y el rendimiento en un sistema de producción aeropónico es imperativo para hacerlo redituable y para hacer el mejor uso de todas las facilidades e insumos. La manipulación de la constitución hormonal es una estrategia. GA3 (GA), nitrato de calcio (CaN) y su combinación, se aplicaron foliarmente varias veces a plantas de papa de las vars. Favorita y Mira durante los ciclos de cultivo del otoño y la primavera en una instalación semi-tropical en Sichuan. También se estudió un tratamiento contrastante de una antigiberelina (Anti) en ambos ciclos. Se observaron diferencias significativas entre los tratamientos y variedades en altura de las plantas, diámetro de tallos, contenido de clorofila, índice de área foliar, número de estolones, número de ramificaciones de los estolones y producción de tubérculo. Para la variedad Favorita, CaN + GA y GA incrementaron el peso de tubérculo por planta en un 63 y 49% en el otoño, y 53 y 73% en la primavera, respectivamente, en comparación con el testigo (CK); el número de tubérculos por planta bajo los tratamientos con CaN + GA y GA aumentaron 90 y 85% en el otoño y 35 y 52% en la primavera, respectivamente. Para la variedad Mira, la tendencia fue similar, pero no tan dramática. Se cosecharon tubérculos en números superiores a 1400 por metro cuadrado de la variedad Mira durante el ciclo de cultivo de la primavera con los tratamientos GA y CaN + GA.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sichuan Provincial 13th Five-Year Plan for the financial support to the Potato Breeding Project (2016NYZ0032). We also gratefully thank Ming-Xia Tang and Wei-Wei Jia, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, for their technical assistance, and Xue-Li Huang, Sichuan Agricultural University, for giving helpful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Crop Research Institute, Chengdu, China

    Cui-Cun Wang, Ke-Xiu Wang, Jian-Jun Hu, Ming-Xia Tang & Wei He

  2. Xichang University, Xichang, China

    Cui-Cun Wang

  3. College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

    Xi-Yao Wang

  4. Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China

    Peter Vander Zaag

  5. Sunrise Potato, Alliston, Canada

    Peter Vander Zaag

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  1. Cui-Cun Wang
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  2. Xi-Yao Wang
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  3. Ke-Xiu Wang
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  5. Ming-Xia Tang
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  6. Wei He
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  7. Peter Vander Zaag
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Correspondence to Peter Vander Zaag.

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Wang, CC., Wang, XY., Wang, KX. et al. Manipulating Aeroponically Grown Potatoes with Gibberellins and Calcium Nitrate. Am. J. Potato Res. 95, 351–361 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-018-9635-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-018-9635-3

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