Genomics and Applied Biology 2026, Vol.17, No.1, 26-36 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/gab 30 4.2 The impact of ridge height on the number of block roots, single potato weight, and girdling rate Among the several indicators determining the rate of commercial potatoes, the number of tubers per plant, the weight of a single potato, and the proportion of large and medium-sized tubers are often the most intuitive. A field experiment in Longyan, Fujian Province found that as the ridge height increased, the number of tubers per plant and the proportion of large and medium-sized tubers also increased simultaneously. However, the weight of a single potato per plant and the total yield did not increase continuously but showed a “first increase then decrease” pattern. This also suggests that the higher the ridge height, the better, but there is an optimal range (Li et al., 2019). In this experiment, the treatment with a ridge spacing of 80 cm and a ridge height of 30 cm had the highest yield, reaching 42.91 t/hm². At the same time, the emergence rate (visible tubers) reached 96.40%. This indicates that an appropriate ridge height is not only conducive to the expansion of block roots but also helps reduce harvest losses. From a mechanism perspective, the weight of a single potato and the girdling rate are closely related to energy supply. Two-season experiments showed that the ATP content was highly significantly positively correlated with yield and the weight of a single potato, and the girdling rate was also significantly correlated with ATP and ADP content (Bhattarai et al., 2017). This means that any structure that improves ventilation and enhances aerobic respiration can play a role through the “ATP - starch synthesis - single potato weight” chain. 4.3 Analysis of the relationship between root morphology formation and furrow height Whether the product is of good quality depends not only on whether there are potatoes in the field, but also on whether the potato shape is regular and whether the specifications are uniform. The influence of the furrow structure on the formation of the potato shape mainly manifests in two aspects: one is the compactness of the soil and the distribution of pores, which will set “space boundaries” for the expansion of the root; the other is the fluctuation of water levels, which will change the cell turgor pressure and epidermal tension, thereby inducing cracking or deformity of the potato. Some studies have mentioned that excessive irrigation water easily makes the soil compact, and the potato blocks will be squeezed and deformed accordingly. This “over-wet - high resistance - deformity” path is not uncommon (Colombi et al., 2018). In the engineering ventilation experiment, when the CO₂ level in the root domain was reduced, the root yield increased, and the CO₂ level after rain was also more stable, indicating that good gas exchange helps maintain a uniform underground environment. When comparing 30, 40, and 50 cm furrow heights abroad, it was also found that an increase in furrow height often accompanies an increase in root length and a decrease in root diameter, and at a specific planting angle, the yield of 40 cm furrow height is higher (Villordon et al., 2019). This suggests that the furrow height not only affects the “size” of the potato but also reshapes the “length, thickness” of the morphological scale. Therefore, the formation of the potato shape should be considered in the design stage of the furrow height, rather than passively grading after harvest. 5 The Effect of Ridge Height on Sweet Potato Commodity Potato Rate and Yield Composition 5.1 Characteristics of changes in potato yield under different ridge heights The high or low rate of commercial potatoes is often related to whether the specifications are concentrated, whether there are any defects in appearance, whether they are damaged during harvesting, and the situation of pests and diseases. Nowadays, many grading methods directly set thresholds based on weight, such as 150-600 g grading, treating A and B grades as commodity potatoes. Essentially, this is measured by “sellable specifications” rather than simply by the total yield. In field management, people often attribute the increase in commodity rate to reasonable planting density, reduction of underground pests and diseases, and special emphasis on later drainage to prevent decay and deformities. In fact, the impact of ridge height is often more prominent, as it works by changing the risk of deformities and potato cracking, concentration of specifications, and probability of mechanical damage. When the ridge body is moderate, the ventilation conditions are good, the expansion process is more uniform, and the size of the potato chunks is more concentrated; The ridges are relatively low, and after rain, they are prone to lack of oxygen and are prone to compaction, resulting in an increase in slender or curved potatoes (Colombi et al., 2018); However, if the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==