Developmental changes in sugars and dry matter content of potato tuber under sub-tropical climates

Two early maturing potato cultivars viz. the Indian cultivar Kufri Lauvkar and the exotic cultivar Atlantic were investigated for sucrose, reducing sugars and dry matter content changes during tuber growth. Relatively poor processing cultivar Kufri Lauvkar maintains higher sucrose and reducing sugar contents and lower dry matter values as compared to Atlantic throughout the growth and irrespective of the tuber size. The cultivar Kufri Lauvkar though attains physical maturity, but its tubers remain chemically immature under relatively cooler northern Indian plains. A negative correlation between free sugars vis-a-vis crop duration and tuber size was obtained. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.