Abstract
Potatoes are the fourth-most important global food crop, but they suffer from a wide range of pests and diseases, including potato blight (Phytophthora infestans and Alternaria solani) and tomato potato psyllid (TPP, Bactericera cockerelli). Based on results from previous field trials of mesh crop covers to control TPP, two trials were conducted to study the impact of UV radiation on potato yield, TPP and blight. The first trial studied field-grown potatoes in cloches covered with either plastic or mesh covers each with contrasting UV transmission levels, and an uncovered control. Measurements included microclimate, visually assessed foliar blight & psyllid scores and crop yield. The second trial was a balanced 2 × 2 factorial design with pot-grown potatoes under A-frames with either UV-transmitting or UV-absorbing plastic sheets as one factor, and TPP-inoculated and TPP-free plants sprayed with insecticides as the second factor. Measurements included microclimate, crop yield, TPP and aphid populations. In the cloche trial, potato tuber weight and size increased compared to the control, with the largest increase under the UV-absorbing covers. Psyllid yellows and foliar blight symptoms showed strong correlation between UV radiation levels and damage symptoms, with the highest damage in the control, lower under UV transmitting covers, and the least under the UV-absorbing covers. In the A-frame trial there was no effect of TPP on yield, potentially due to low TPP populations, but a 1 kg per frame (23%) reduction of yield in plants exposed to near-ambient UV radiation. Psyllid yellows and counts were highest in plants exposed to TPP and near-ambient UV, and TPP counts were highest under the +UV+TPP treatment. In addition, there were no aphid counts under the UV-absorbing treatment. The results emphasise the value of using UV-absorbing covers as a highly effective and sustainable solution for pest control and increased crop productivity.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Covers increased potato tuber weight and size relative to uncovered control, most under UV-absorbing covers.
- Taxon
- potato
Solanum tuberosume0 - Treatment
- UV-absorbing coverse0
- Outcome
- tuber weight and sizee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the cloche trial, potato tuber weight and size increased compared to the control, with the largest increase under the UV-absorbing covers.”
Claim · model-written summary
Psyllid yellows damage was greatest in control and least under UV-absorbing covers.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- UV-absorbing coverse0
- Interactor
- Psyllide0pest
- Outcome
- Psyllid yellowse0
- Direction
- leaste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Psyllid yellows and foliar blight symptoms showed strong correlation between UV radiation levels and damage symptoms, with the highest damage in the control, lower under UV transmitting covers, and the least under the UV-absorbing covers.”
t0“potato yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar blight damage was greatest in control and least under UV-absorbing covers.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- UV-absorbing coverse0
- Outcome
- foliar blight symptomse0
- Direction
- leaste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Psyllid yellows and foliar blight symptoms showed strong correlation between UV radiation levels and damage symptoms, with the highest damage in the control, lower under UV transmitting covers, and the least under the UV-absorbing covers.”
t0“potato yield”
Claim · model-written summary
TPP had no detected effect on potato yield in the A-frame trial, potentially because populations were low.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- TPPe0
- Interactor
- TPPe0pest
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- no effecte0
- Qualifier
- potentially due to low TPP populationse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the A-frame trial there was no effect of TPP on yield, potentially due to low TPP populations”
t0“potato yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Near-ambient UV reduced potato yield by 1 kg per frame, or 23%.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- near-ambient UV radiatione0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Value
- 1 kg per frame (23%)e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a 1 kg per frame (23%) reduction of yield in plants exposed to near-ambient UV radiation”
t0“potato yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Psyllid yellows was highest in plants exposed to TPP and near-ambient UV.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- TPP and near-ambient UVe0
- Interactor
- TPPe0pest
- Outcome
- Psyllid yellowse0
- Direction
- higheste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Psyllid yellows and counts were highest in plants exposed to TPP and near-ambient UV”
t0“potato yield”
Claim · model-written summary
TPP counts were highest under combined UV and TPP treatment.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- +UV+TPP treatmente0
- Interactor
- TPPe0pest
- Outcome
- TPP countse0
- Direction
- higheste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“TPP counts were highest under the +UV+TPP treatment.”
t0“potato yield”
Claim · model-written summary
No aphids were counted under UV-absorbing treatment.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- UV-absorbing treatmente0
- Interactor
- aphide0pest
- Outcome
- aphid countse0
- Direction
- noe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there were no aphid counts under the UV-absorbing treatment”
t0“potato yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend UV-absorbing covers for pest control and crop productivity.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- UV-absorbing coverse0
- Outcome
- using UV-absorbing coverse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The results emphasise the value of using UV-absorbing covers as a highly effective and sustainable solution for pest control and increased crop productivity.”
t0“potato yield”
The same questions in other papers
uv · yield · Solanum tuberosum (potato)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.