Seed potato physiological age and crop establishment

Abstract

Seed potato physiological age progressively advances with time (chronological age), but is also influenced by temperature during storage. In this work, different combinations of constant temperatures (2, 8 and 20°C) were applied to 'Bondi‟ and 'Fraser‟ seed potatoes at different times during the storage period. It seems that using expensive cool storage in winter in Canterbury, with cool winter ambient temperatures, is unnecessary for crop establishment and by inference subsequent crop production. .