New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
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. WALKER1,*
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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