Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is grown in over 160 countries. Weed competition and environmental stressors during the vegetative growth stage significantly impact crop yields. An experiment was conducted from 2012 to 2014 in Poland to assess the effect of herbicides linuron + clomazone (L+CH) and metribuzin (M) as well as herbicides mixed with biostimulants (linuron + clomazone and algae extract of Ecklonia maxima—auxins and gibberellins (L+CH+E) and metribuzin + sodium p-nitrophenolate, sodium o-nitrophenolate and sodium 5-nitroguaiacolate (M+S)) on weed infestation, marketable yield and yield components of the following three table potato cultivars: Bartek, Gawin and Honorata. In plots where potato had been treated with herbicides and herbicides mixed with biostimulants, a decline in the fresh matter of weeds was observed, ranging from 72.4% to 96.1%, which was followed by an increase in potato marketable yield (from 27.5% to 61%) and improved parameters of S. tuberosum yield components, compared with the control. Linear correlation coefficients indicated that the following characteristics: marketable yield, weight of tubers per plant and average weight per tuber were associated with weed infestation determined prior to potato harvest.

In modern agriculture, preparations qualified as biostimulants are used alongside pesticides. They influence the development of plants and enable a yield-forming effect. An important feature of these preparations is that they are safe for the environment. They can be treated as substitutes for plant protection agents, which is especially important in the era of implementation of the European Green Deal, ordering the reduction of chemicalization of agriculture. The purpose of this paper was to compare the production and economic results of five methods of plantation care in Solanum tuberosum cultivation: on the first object (control), mechanical cultivation was used, and on the second, object the herbicide Avatar 293 ZC (1.5 dm³·ha⁻¹), on object three, the herbicide Avatar 293 ZC (1.5 dm³·ha⁻¹) and the biostimulant PlonoStart (2.0 dm³·ha⁻¹), on object four, the herbicide Avatar 293 ZC (1.5 dm³·ha⁻¹) and biostimulant Aminoplant (1.5 dm³·ha⁻¹), and on object five, the herbicide Avatar 293 ZC (1.5 dm³·ha⁻¹) and biostimulant Agro-Sorb Folium (4.0 dm³·ha⁻¹). The research was conducted from 2018 to 2020 at the Agricultural Experimental Station in Zawady, central-eastern Poland. The results were analyzed, on average, for two Polish edible potato cultivars (Malaga and Oberon), and three years of study (2018–2020) were taken into consideration. The experiment was established as a two-factor experiment in three replicates on light soil in a spit-plot arrangement. A beneficial effect of herbicides and biostimulants on the yield and profitability of edible potato production was observed. An average increase of 33.2% in marketable yield was obtained. The gross margin increased by an average of 49.3%. The highest total yield, as compared to the control object, was obtained from object 5, where the herbicide Avatar 293 ZC with biostimulant Agro-Sorb Folium was applied, such as the greatest economic effect was achieved also in object no. 5. Application of this biostimulant was most beneficial.

Background: The impact of light on the content of undesirable substances is particularly important in the case of potatoes available in store where the tubers are exposed to continuous light access. Both washed and unwashed potatoes are available, hence the hypothesis that the amount of harmful substances stored in tubers depends not only on the time of their exposure to light, but also on whether they were washed or not. Methods: In order to verify the hypothesis, laboratory tests were carried out on the tubers of five potato varieties originating from a univariate field experiment. The aim of the study was to analyse the change in the content of total glycoalkaloids (TGA) and nitrates (V) in tubers of five potato varieties depending on the time of light exposition (0, 7, 14 days) and pretreatment of tubers. Results: It has been demonstrated that the content of glycoalkaloids and nitrates in potato tubers depended significantly on the variety, time of exposure to light and pretreatment. Most glycoalkaloids were accumulated in the tubers of the Lord (89.67 mg·kg⁻¹) and Irga (89.05 mg·kg⁻¹) varieties. The time of light exposure significantly influenced the increase in glycoalkaloids and nitrates in the studied potato tubers. The increase in TGA after 14 days ranged from 20.67 mg∙kg⁻¹ for variety Vinieta to 54.67 mg∙kg⁻¹ for variety Irga. The increase in nitrates ranged from 11.67 mg∙kg⁻¹ for variety Bellarosa to 27.50 mg∙kg⁻¹ for variety Irga. Exposure time affected the content of glycoalkaloids in a parabolic manner and the content of nitrates in a linear manner.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of herbicides and herbicides used with biostimulants on the content of total and true protein in potato tubers. The three-year field experiment was carried out using the random two-way split-plot arrangement in three repetitions. The examined factors were: I—three cultivars of potato: Bartek, Gawin, Honorata; II—five method applications of herbicides and herbicides with biostimulants: 1. Control—mechanical weeding, 2. Harrier 295 ZC (linuron + clomazone), 3. Harrier 295 ZC + Kelpak SL (linuron + clomazone and extract from algae Ecklonia maxima), 4. Sencor 70 WG (metribuzin), 5. Sencor 70 WG + Asahi SL (metribuzin and sodium p-nitrophenolate, sodium o-nitrophenolate, sodium 5-nitroguolacolate). On the plots sprayed with herbicides and herbicides mixed with biostimulants, a significant increase in the content of total and true proteins and the share of true protein in total protein in relation to tubers harvested from the control object was found. Genetic features of cultivars determined the content of total and true protein in potato tubers. The highest total and true protein was accumulated by tubers of the Bartek cultivar, and the least by the Honorata cultivar.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of applied herbicides and growth regulators on the airborne limitation of dry weed mass and the total yield of three edible potato varieties. The field experiment was established as two-factor in a (split-plot) system in three replications. The...