Brown center is associated with cool, wet soil conditions during early tuber development.
Brown centers in small tubers may disappear if tuber growth is uniform during maturation.
are variable. The affected cells eventually die.
become light to dark brown.
The internal cavity formed when tubers grow too rapidly is called hollow heart. Hollow heart is common in oversized or rapidly
growing tubers. It is more severe under conditions that favour rapid tuber enlargement, such as dry soil conditions followed by high moisture levels. Wide plant spacing can increase the incidence of hollow heart. Calcium deficiency has been implicated in this disorder. The varieties Atlantic and Yukon Gold are very susceptible to hollow heart.
near the stem or bud end. The cavity is either irregular
or star-shaped. Cavity size can range from less than
1 cm to a large area that includes the whole pith tissue.
cavity several smaller cavities are found.
There are no external symptoms of
hollow heart.
