| Abstract: | Starch Granules of the Potato Plant in the Course of Their Individual Development. Starch granules of the storage tubers of potato plants – small granules (⊘ up to 20 μm), normal granules (⊘ 21 to 40 μm), and large granules (⊘ 41 μm and more) – are typical storage starch granules, which have been greatly influenced by breeding and long cultivation of the potato plant, contrary to those starch granules to be found in the stalks (supplying and leading off). This fact becomes apparent especially in the swelling pattern and polarisation optical analyses. Starch granules over 41 μm frequently show extreme disorders in their typical structure, i.e. their crystalline structure as well as their layers. These starch granules frequently show cracks or branched fissures causing them to fall to pieces. These observations may lead to the conclusion that attempts to increase granule size in order to produce even larger granules of solid structure have hardly any prospect of success using the currently available methods such as selection and fertilization. |
