Starch concentration and impact on specific leaf weight and element concentrations in potato leaves under varied carbon dioxide and temperature

Abstract

Foliar concentrations of starch and major elements, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), along with specific leaf weight (SLW) were determined in the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cvs ‘Denali’, ‘Norland’, and ‘Russet Burbank’ grown for 35 days under CO₂ concentrations of 500, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 μmol.mol^‐1 at both 16°C and 20°C air temperature. The starch concentration, pooled from the three cultivars, increased with increasing CO₂ concentration at both 16°C and 20°C and was consistently higher at 16°C than at 20°C. The SLW (g.m^‐2) was positively related to the foliar starch concentration on the basis of leaf area or dry weight. The concentrations of N, P, Ca, and Mg in leaves were negatively related to starch concentration under =14% starch on a dry weight basis. Above 14% starch, there was no significant relationship between element and starch concentrations. Similar patterns were seen when the SLW and element concentrations were expressed on a starch‐free basis. In contrast, the leaf concentration of K was not closely related to the starch concentration because the K concentration was similar at varied CO₂ levels. The results of this study indicate that the changes in SLW and concentrations of N, P, Ca, and Mg in potato leaves only partially resulted from the changed starch concentration.