Summary
Potato crops in subtropical climates are often subjected to water stress, resulting in low yields and poor tuber quality. The yield response of potato genotypes to water supply was investigated in six trials, three each in spring and autumn plantings. Trials were conducted under automated rain shelters, using an irrigation boom to impose five soil water regimes.
The negative effect of water stress on tuber yield was more detrimental in spring than in autumn, because of higher atmospheric evaporative demand and higher temperatures in spring. An average yield reduction of 68% was recorded for the most severely stressed regime in spring plantings, while the mean reduction for the same treatment in autumn was only 42%. Genotypic differences in yield response to drought were clearly illustrated in spring, but not in autumn. This suggests that the choice of genotypes is only influenced by the availability of water in spring, when more drought tolerant genotypes should be used.
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Steyn, J.M., Du Plessis, H.F., Fourie, P. et al. Yield response of potato genotypes to different soil water regimes in contrasting seasons of a subtropical climate. Potato Res 41, 239–254 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02358194
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02358194