The influence of genotype on the effects of impact damage and light exposure on the accumulation of glycoalkaloids in potato tubers

The experiment was carried out in 1999 with 24 Polish and 23 West European cultivars of potato tubers. The tubers were analysed for TGA content after 3 months of dark storage conditions in store-house (8 degrees C). 20 tubers of every cultivar were damaged and placed for a week to dark and under 15 W fluorescent lamps--13 mumol m-2 sec(-1)--equivalent to light in supermarkets. Glycoalkaloids content was determined with Bergers (1980) method. Tubers which had been damaged and exposed for a week to fluorescent light had two fold higher levels of TGA, than undamaged tubers stored at dark. It was found that content of glycoalkaloids in potato tubers and the increase of TGA content due to damage and light exposure depended on genotype. It was higher in varieties with higher level of these compounds, for example: Peppo, Albatros, Columbus and Santana (above 200 mg/kg fresh weight)--tab. I. The smaller increase occurred in tubers of varieties with low content of TGA: Polish--Irga, Grot, Baszta, Tokaj and West European--Satina, Ditta Gloria, Victoria--tab. I, II. Therefore it is important to breed new cultivars with low content of TGA.