The Vigor of Seed Potatoes from Organic and Conventional Systems

Abstract

In the research carried out in 2018–2020 at the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, the vigor of seed potatoes from two production systems—organic and conventional—was examined. The characteristics of the tubers and the plants grown from them were assessed. It was found that seed potatoes from the organic system were characterized by features showing symptoms of weaker vigor, i.e., a shorter resting period, a smaller percentage of germinating eyes, a smaller mass of sprouts produced, and a shorter length of the longest sprout. The weaker vigor of seed potatoes from the organic system was reflected in the development and yield of the plants derived from them. It was expressed in weaker emergence, lower stem number, and smaller yield per plot. However, there were no differences in the yield structure. A large varietal differentiation was demonstrated for most of the studied traits. The differences in the vigor of individual cultivars were not related to the length of the growing season. The conditions prevailing in the research years had the greatest impact on the length of tuber dormancy, the percentage of germinating eyes, and the percentage of plant emergence.