The Effect of Temperature on the Initiation of Leaf Primordia in Developing Potato Sprouts

Abstract

Kirk, W W., Davies, H. V. and Marshall, B. 1985. The effect of temperature on the initiation of leaf primordia in developing potato sprouts.—J. exp. Bot. 36: 1634–1643. Initiation of leaf primordia in potato sprouted out of soil in light was an asymptotic function of thermal time and the base temperature for the process was 3.6 °C. The parameter values of the asymptotic function were universal for cv. Maris Piper. The estimated rate of leaf primordium initiation decreased linearly from 0.033 leaf pnmordia (K day)⁻¹ when about eight leaf primordia were present to zero after a maximum number of 24 leaf primordia had been initiated. The decrease in rate of development with increasing number of primordia may be due to depletion of mother tuber resources. The transition of the apex from a vegetative to a reproductive state was not the factor limiting the initiation of additional leaf primordia.