Effect of different agricultural systems on accumulation of fenolic acids in potato tubers

Leidinio DOI: https://doi.org/10.7220/1822-9913.2020The aim of the research was to determine the influence of two different farming systems – organic and conventional – on the accumulation of phenolic acids in three different varieties of potato tubers. For the experiment, three potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars with different colored flesh were selected: ‘Red Emmalie’, ‘Violetta’ and ‘Laura’. They were cultivated at a farm in the Širvintos district of Lithuanian the year 2018. Potatoes were grown following traditional potato production technology in conventional and organic farming systems. The tubers were planted at the end of April and harvested at maturity during the first week of September. In the conventional farming system, the mix of universal complex fertilizers and plant protection products were used at planting. In the organic farming system, potatoes were grown in accordance with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements standard. Phenolic acids were measured by a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography method. Different agricultural systems had a major influence on the accumulation of phenolic acids in potato tubers. Organically grown tubers of the investigated varieties had significantly higher total phenolic and chlorogenic acid content than intensively grown tubers. The highest levels of these compounds were found in tubers of the ‘Laura’ variety. The cultivation system did not significantly affect the amount of gallic acid in the tubers of ‘Red Emmalie’ and ‘Violetta’. However, intensively grown ‘Laura’ tubers showed 27% more gallic acid compared to organically grown tubers. The ‘Red Emmalie’ and ‘Violetta’ tubers grown without synthetic fertilizers had 70.5% and 61.43% higher levels of caffeic acid than the intensively grown tubers. Organically grown tubers (except ‘Violetta’) have significantly higher levels of p-coumaric acid. Organically grown ‘Laura’ tubers had the highest content of this acidAgronomijos fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta