BLACKSPOT PIGMENT DEVELOPMENT OF RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE SOLANUM-TUBEROSUM L GENOTYPES AT HARVEST AND DURING STORAGE MEASURED BY 3 METHODS OF EVALUATION

Blackspot pigment development was measured by three methods: 1) impact, 2) abrasive peeling, and 3) oxidation of tuber homogenates. Genotypes and storage periods were used as variable treatments. All methods were able to separate genotypes based on blackspot resistance although the abrasive peel and homogenization methods provided more consistent results than the impact bruise method. Bruise resistant genotypes transferred their resistance to progeny in crosses with a susceptible genotype which was correlated with tyrosine content. According to the traditional impact bruise technique, tuber resistance to blackspot increased during the eight- to nine-month storage at 3 C. In contrast, resistance was found to decrease with the homogenization procedure and did not change with the abrasive peel technique. Free tyrosine was consistently associated with blackspot pigment development but chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were not.