Improving Potato Uniformity with Plant Growth Regulators - Poster
The application of plant growth regulators (PGRs), most commonly gibberellic acid (GA) has been commonly used to improve emergence and influence stem and tuber number. The challenge has been the treatment of GA has been frustrating because of various measurements and application styles for this very potent product. In this experiment we established a standard seed treatment with known rate applied in combinations of gibberellic acid, cytokinin (CK), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) to 10 potato cultivars in field studies performed in North Dakota. In some varieties, emergence, stem
number and plant height were increased, while others did not respond to treatments. Additionally, some varieties experienced tuber elongation and a shift in the tuber profile, but rarely yield was increased. PGRs manipulate stem and tuber number and this can be used to improve tuber size profile for the desired use. PGR sensitivity it tied to variety and seed age.