Study on the cultivation of seedlings using buds of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Chaonan Wang; Chong Du; Zhongmin Yang; Huilin Wang; Leijuan Shang; Lili Liu; Zhiyi Yang; Shuyao Song; Sikandar Amanullah

doi:10.7717/peerj.13804

Study on the cultivation of seedlings using buds of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

PeerJ. 2022 Sep 9:10:e13804. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13804. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Chaonan Wang^#^{1

2}, Chong Du^#^{1

2}, Zhongmin Yang^{1

2}, Huilin Wang², Leijuan Shang², Lili Liu², Zhiyi Yang², Shuyao Song³, Sikandar Amanullah⁴

Affiliations

¹ Xinjiang Agricultural University, Postdoctoral Station of Horticulture, Urumuqi, China.
² Xinjiang Agricultural University, College of Horticulture, Urumuqi, China.
³ Jilin Agricultural University, College of Horticulture, Changchun, China.
⁴ Northeast Agricultural University, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Harbin, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Potato, a vegetable crop grown worldwide, has many uses, a short growth period, a large market demand and high economic benefits. The loss of potato seediness due to traditional potato growing methods is becoming increasingly evident, and research on new ways of growing potatoes is particularly important. Bud planting technology has the advantages of more reproduction, faster growth, and simplified maintenance of crop plants under cultivation.

Methods: In this study, a bud planting method was adopted for the cultivation of potato seedlings. Specifically, we assessed different types of treatments for the production of high-quality buds and seedlings of potato. A total of four disease-free potato varieties (Fujin, Youjin, Zhongshu 4, and Feiwuruita) were selected, potato buds with three different lengths (3 cm, 5 cm, and 7 cm) were considered the T₁, T₂, and T₃ treatments, and terminal buds, middle buds, and tail buds were used as the T₄, T₅, and T₆ treatments. A nutrient pot experiment was performed following a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates and a natural control (CK) treatment. Cultivation was performed with the common horticultural practices of weeding and hoeing applied as needed. The photosynthetic indices, physiological indices, growth indices and quality of potato seedlings and quality of potato buds were measured at two-week intervals, and yield indices were measured when the final crop was harvested 14 weeks after planting.

Results and conclusions: Cultivation of seedlings from potato buds of different lengths increased the reproduction coefficient and reduced the number of seed potatoes needed for cultivation. All morphological, physiological, and yield indices showed positive trends. A potato bud length of 7 cm was optimal for raising seedlings. Moreover, buds located at the terminal of the potato yielded seedlings with the best quality. In conclusion, we recommend that our proven bud planting technique be adopted at the commercial level, which could support good crop production with maximum yield.

Keywords: Potato; Potato bud; Production; Seedling cultivation; Yield.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Crop Production*
Photosynthesis
Random Allocation
Seedlings*
Solanum tuberosum*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (No. 2022D01B27), the Tianchi PhD Program in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (No. 390000017) and the crosswise tasks project (No. 2521HXKT1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.