Ontijdige knolvorming bij de aardappel in verband met de morphologische toestand van de poter

Summary

Repeated desprouting of potato tubers tends to produce a disorder known as premature tuberformation. Studes were made to determine whether, before planting, a differentiation takes place in certain buds so that stolon formation will result. All but two eyes were excised from tubers of the variety Eersteling (Duke of York) and the tubers were allowed to sprout in light. At various periods sprouts were removed and the subsequent development of the remaining lateral buds was studied. It was found that the lateral buds always developed into leaf-bearing shoots irrespective of their order or distance from the terminal bud. If the sprouts were given the opportunity of developing in light, these buds formed axes with the appearance of normal shoots.

The investigations failed to show that certain lateral buds in the eyes had undergone differentiation before planting such that their development into stolons was already determined.

Nor did it appear that stolon formation was encouraged when, under conditions as chosen here, tubers were compelled to use axes of a higher order for sprout development.