Seed potato minituber production in an aeroponic system under tropical conditions: electrical conductivity and plant density

Author(s)

Calori, Alex Humberto ^[1] ; Factor, Thiago Leandro ^[2] ; Feltran, Jose Carlos ^[1] ; Watanabe, Eduardo Yuji ^[3] ; de Moraes, Carolina Cinto ^[1] ; Villani Purquerio, Luis Felipe ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Inst Agron Estado Sao Paulo, Hort Ctr, BR-13012970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Agencia Paulista Tecnol Agronegocios, Northeastern Pole, Mococa, SP - Brazil

^[3] Agencia Paulista Tecnol Agronegocios, Dept Res & Dev, Itarare, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION; v. 41, n. 17, p. 2200-2209, 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Most seed potatoes in Brazil are produced in beds, pots or boxes containing substrate, but the yields are low. Aeroponic systems are one strategy for increasing the yield. However, the concentration of nutrient solutions, managed by varying the electrical conductivity (EC), is of upmost importance and can alter plant responses. Plant density is another important factor for obtaining high yields. The objective of this study was thus to determine the effect of nutrient-solution EC and plant density on plant and seed potato production in aeroponic system. The experimental design was a randomized block with a split-plot design and four replicates, with plots for EC and subplots for plant density. Two potato cultivars were tested. The best ECs for Agata and Asterix were 2.1 and 1.7dSm(-1), respectively. The highest plant density (100 plants m(-2)) for both cultivars produced the highest minituber yield and economic feasibility. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/50786-8 - System development, plant density and electric conductivity evaluation in the aeroponic potato seed production
• Grantee: Thiago Leandro Factor
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants