Anatomy and compositional variations within potatoes. III. Gross compositional gradients.

The degree of compositional variations within potato tubers has been related to the development anatomy of the tuber and to exact tissues. The principal component, starch, shows differences in granule size distributions and in composition that appear when the young tuber averages about 1/300 of mature volumetric size. These differences pertain at maturity. When starch differences have been established, growth by cell divisions diminishes and growth by cell enlargement becomes dominant. In the mature tuber the general gradients for specific gravity, percent total solids, and percent total nitrogen decrease from stem end to bud end for cortical, perimedullary and pith tissues. Relationship between specific gravity and total solids is less parallel because differences in cell size and size of minute intercellular spaces also influence tissue density. Relationship between total solids and total nitrogen gradients from cortical tissue to pith were inverse with toal nirogen being higher in those tissues of lower total solids. These variations suggest need for new approaches in basic research on tuber quality improvement.