New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Starch metabolism during growth and storage of tubers
of two New Zealand potato cultivars

CHRISTINE E. LEWIS¹
JANE E. LANCASTER²
PETER MEREDITH¹
JOHN R. L. WALKER^1,*

1Department of Plant and Microbial Sciences
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
2New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Private Bag 4704
Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract  Polysaccharides, sugars, and enzymes involved in starch metabolism were assayed at 14-day intervals during development and the following 2 months of storage at 9deg.C for two New Zealand-bred potato cultivars--'Ilam Hardy' and `Rua'. Despite changes in sugars and activities of enzymes, starch levels remained relatively constant. Glucose and sucrose levels decreased throughout development. Enzymes involved in starch synthesis and degradation were active throughout tuber development. These observations suggest that the developing tuber may act as a dynamic pool of sugars available to the plant. Changes in sugars and enzyme activities between sampling dates reflected variations in soil temperature.

Keywords  potato; Solanum tuberosum; starch metabolism; environment; tuber development; biosynthesis; degradation; storage; regulation; enzymes

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 1994, Vol. 22: 295-304

0114-0671/94/2203-0295 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1994

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (710K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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