Productivity of potato micro bulbs in vitro depending on the duration of their storage for growing in the South of Ukraine

Abstract

Goal. To determine the productivity of mini bulbs of potato varieties of different maturity groups depending on the shelf life of planting material. Methods. Field (measuring and weighing) — to determine the natural loss, harvest; statistical — to establish the measurement error; calculation-comparative — to determine regularities. Results. From the moment of harvesting to planting in the field, the weight of micro bulbs decreased by almost half, the smallest losses were in the variants with physiologically young planting material — 82–88% of the weight remained. The highest yield of early Kimmeria variety in the experiment was in the variants with planting material preservation of 140 days (10.77 t/ha) and 260 (11.89 t/ha). Also, high yields were observed during storage of 110, 170, and 230 days. The yield of the middle-early variety Svitanok Kyivskyi changed less, the maximum results were obtained during storage of 230 (8.21 t/ha) and 260 (8.35 t/ha) days. It should be noted options with storage of 140, 200, and 290 days, where the yield was also high. The maximum number of tubers under the bush was obtained during 230–290 days’ storage of varieties Kimmeria — 4.7–5.6 pcs., Svitanok Kyivskyi — 2.7–3.2 pcs. In the variants with physiologically old micro bulbs (230; 260; 290 days) they received a large average tuber 19.8–25.2 and 14.1–19 g, and the highest yield per 1 plant — 93–139 and 49–52 g for both varieties in accordance. The maximum actual harvest of Kimmeria mini bulbs from the plot in 2021 was harvested in the variant with storage of 110 days — 2.8 kg, in other variants — up to 1.7 kg. The minimum number of mini bulbs up to 1 cm in size in the variants was 260 and 290 days — 10%, the maximum — in the variants 45–75 days (19–22%) in the whole experiment. Conclusions. The beginning of the formation of the tuber of Kimmeria varieties should be planned in the second decade of October, Svitanok Kyivskyi — in the second decade of September and (or) May, which will ensure their best storage for 110, 140, and 260 days, preservation, field productivity, and reproduction rate.