Department of Plant Sciences

Potatoes have a high demand for inorganic phosphorus (Pi) fertilisers, which they acquire and utilize less efficiently than many other crops. Hence, application of Pi-fertilisers for potato production can carry both financial and environmental burdens. To reduce the Pi-fertiliser burden, new methods for improving precision in the amounts, timing and location of Pi-fertilizer applications to potato crops are currently being sought. This paper describes a novel molecular-biological method to monitor the physiological status of a potato crop in the field based on global gene expression patterns in diagnostic leaves. The method has potential to diagnose incipient P-deficiency and, thereby, minimize Pi-fertiliser applications by allowing remedial applications of Pi-fertiliser to a growing crop.