Influence of cultivation technology on the color of raw potato tubers
Results of the research were based on a field experiment carried out in 2014‒2016 at the Experimental Station of Cultivar Assessment in Uhnin (51°34'N, 23°02'E), on podzolic slightly acidic soil. The experiment was carried out using random sub-blocks, in a dependent split-plot system, in triplicate. The first-order factor was potato cultivars (‘Vineta’ and ‘Satina’), and the second-order factor consisted of six cultivation technologies: A − using fungicides to control potato blight, technologies: B, C, D, E − with the application of effective microorganisms, and technology F − without the use of fungicides and effective microorganisms as a control object. The scope of the research included assessing the color of the raw tubers pulp. To determine the color of raw potato, the method of trichromatic colorimetry was used applying the Konica Minolta CM-5 spectrophotometer. The color measurement of raw tubers was carried out in the CIEL*a*b* system. Cultivation technology with fungicide application significantly contributed to the brightness change of the raw tuber flesh compared to the technology (D), where for the treatment, as in the growing season, effective microorganisms were used. Genetic properties of cultivars determined the color brightness, as well as its trichromatic coordinates.