The Potential of Coating Half-cut Tubers with Natural Biostimulants in Improving Yield Components and Inducing Resistance Against Grey Mold and Black Scurf in Potato

In Tunisia, farmers resort to tuber half-cutting to lower the cost of purchased potato tubers prior to planting. Few, if any, studies have analysed the potential of biostimulants to enhance potato yield when applied to half-cut tubers. In this study, we are reporting the effects of coating half-cut tubers with different biostimulants on grey mold and black scurf severities, the accumulation of the defence-related enzymes peroxidase and catalase and also on the productivity of the potato cultivar Spunta' under both greenhouse and field conditions. The treatments include beneficial microorganisms Trichoderma harzianum T.INAT, Paraburkholderia phytofirmans, and the commercial products Panoramix (mixture of Trichoderma sp., mycorrhizae, PGPR bacteria, and additives), Trianum (T. harzianum T22) and MycoUp (mycorrhizae Glomus iranicum). Overall, the treatments resulted in a significant reduction of grey mold and black scurf diseases. This reduction was allied with a bio-priming phenomenon which consisted of an earlier accumulation of either peroxidases or catalase. As anticipated, the half-cutting of tubers led to a lower cover rate, aboveground biomass, and a yield with decreased rates of up to 9.9%, 9.8%, and 10.7%, respectively. The use of the biostimulants on half-cut tubers was beneficial and led to an increase of 30% in the amount of yield. Panoramix was the most efficient treatment, resulting in the highest yield of potatoes amounting to 40.11 tons/ha. This finding demonstrates the benefits of biostimulant-based coating of half-cut tubers on potato yield, which might compensate for potato production deficits.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates the benefits of using biostimulants on half-cut tubers to reduce potato diseases and increase yield. The treatment with Panoramix showed the highest potato yield.