Glycoalkaloid increase in Solarium tuberosum on exposure to light

Summary Tubers of six commercially available potato cultivars were placed in bright light (140 jUmol“1 m”2), approximately equivalent to dull daylight, for a continuous period of up to seven days. The tubers were sampled at intervals, scored for degree of greening, freeze‐dried and subsequently assessed for glycoalkaloid and chlorophyll content. There were significant differences between the cultivars in their rates of greening and increase in glycoalkaloid content. There was an apparent relationship between the two characters. Increases in the individual glycoalkaloids a–chaconine and a‐solanine were also assessed. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for the potato industry.