Rôle of Mother Tuber in Growth of Potato Plant

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Abstract
To determine at what period of growth the young potato plant becomes independent of the stored food in the mother tuber, and to study the chem-ical changes occurring in the mother tuber during the transference of materials from the seed piece to the sprout, in 1926-28 amputation experiments were carried out which permitted the removal of the mother tuber and the replacement of the plant in the soil without disturbance of the root system. Subsequent rate of growth and final yield of amputated plants were compared with those from check plants subjected to the same procedure except that the mother tubers were not removed. Amputation of mother tubers at emergence of sprout, or when the young plant was 2 in. high reduced the yield. Removal of mother tubers when plants were 10 in. high resulted in a slight decrease for Irish Cobbler, but with Bliss Triumph the yield from plants allowed to retain their mother tubers was less than that from the amputated plants. Chemical analyses of the tissue amputated at each stage of development are given in detail. About 70-85% of the dry weight of the seed piece was utilized, all forms of substances decreasing in amount in the seed piece during growth, except sugar and water, both of which increased markedly.

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