Effects of Elevated Temperature on Agronomic, Morphological, Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of Potato Genotypes: 1. Agronomic and Morphological traits

Global elevated temperatures create uncertainties in crop yield production and sustainability, threatening potatoes’ food security and sustainability roles. This has been among the primary research concerns necessitating the need to evaluate potato genotypes’ response to elevated temperature under field conditions. This study assessed potato genotypes’ agronomic and morphological responses to elevated temperatures. The experiments were conducted under field conditions in the 2022 and 2023 cropping seasons in a split-plot design. Two heat treatments were applied; a control treatment in which the plants received the field temperature of the experimental station, and a heat treatment in which the plants received a temperature of + 6.0–10.0 °C depending on the date and time of day. The agronomic and morphological traits evaluated included tuber yield, mean tuber weight, days to emergence, plant height, number of stems per plant, days to physiological maturity, and tuber size distribution. The results showed significant ( P