ARS | Publication request: RESEARCHERS REPORT PROGRESS ON POATO TUBER WOUND-HEALING/SUBERIZATON, SKIN-SET.

Submitted to: Valley Potato Grower Magazine
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: February 10, 2003
Publication Date: March 1, 2003
Citation: LULAI, E.C. RESEARCHERS REPORT PROGRESS ON POTATO TUBER WOUND-HEALING/SUBERIZATON, SKIN-SET. VALLEY POTATO GROWER MAGAZINE. 2003. V. 68(138) P. 34-35.

Interpretive Summary: Each year growers and processors incur huge losses as a result of wound related infections, defects and shrinkage of potatoes during storage. The majority of these types of losses could be prevented with accelerated wound-healing and the development of resistance to skinning injury (skin-set). However, our ability to enhance wound-healing and skin-set is severely hampered by the lack of knowledge about the: (1) biochemical processes that are responsible for healing and resistance to skinning injury, (2) identity of the biochemical signals that are required to initiate these processes, and (3) the regulatory mechanisms that control the rate of these processes after they are initiated. Our research is focused on addressing these knowledge gaps so that new approaches and technologies may be developed to hasten wound-healing and skin-set. This report summarizes, in layman¿s terms, a broad range of our recent laboratory research and the importance of this information in advancing our knowledge base to solve wound-healing and skin-set related problems for the benefit of commodity stakeholders and the potato industry.

Technical Abstract: The suberization of tuber wounds and the development of resistance to tuber excoriation (resistance to tuber skinning injury) are important physiological processes that directly impact tuber market quality. However, critical portions of the biochemical processes responsible for suberization and resistance to excoriation have not been determined. The signals required to initiate suberization and the development of resistance to excoriation have not been identified nor have the regulatory mechanisms that control their rates. The absence of this biochemical information prevents the development of modern approaches and technologies to enhance/improve suberization and skin-set and control associated losses from disease and physiological defects. This research is directed at identifying and characterizing these processes, signals and regulatory mechanisms. This report concisely summarizes recent progress within this research project and is presented in layman¿s terms for the benefit of commodity stakeholders and the potato industry as a whole.