Browsing by Subject "idättäminen"

Potato virus Y (PVY) is currently the most yield and quality limiting pathogen of the cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) globally. While yield losses specific to PVY are hard to measure in presence of other pathogens they are estimated as 20 to 80 %. The most important way by which the virus spreads are virus-infected seed potatoes. High quality seed potato is very important for food, food industry and starch potato production. Visual inspection of the potato plants underestimates usually the real percentage of PVY infection. Laboratory tests provide more accurate results about the incidence of infections. The problem with testing PVY is that the virus cannot be detected reliably from samples taken from dormant tubers. Different treatments have been used to break dormancy of tubers e.g. chemicals (Rindite, bromoethane), plant hormones (gibberellic acid) and adjusted storage temperatures (cold and heat treatment). The results have varied a lot. In this thesis an experiment with oxygen-carbon dioxide (O2 40 %-CO2 20 %) treatment with different periods of time was used to end dormancy of potato tubers. The aim was to test whether the treatment could end dormancy of tubers earlier than normally and to see if the treatment has an effect on detection of PVY. One aim was also to test how reliably PVY could be detected from tuber and sprout samples compared with potato leaf samples which are normally used for virus testing. Results from the sprouting treatment were variable and could not be readily generalized. The treatment had no effect on the detection of PVY incidence. When the different plant materials were compared with each other, tuber material showed the lowest PVY percentage when compared to sprouts and leaves. Testing sprouts also underestimated the incidence PVY. The best material for testing PVY in potatoes were the leaf samples.