Potato Research, cilt.67, sa.2, ss.451-462, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the fourth major crop grown as a staple food worldwide, following rice, wheat, and maize. It is highly susceptible to diseases, nematodes, insect pests, and weeds. Potato yield loss due to weeds varies from 10 to 80% depending on the environment, weed diversity, density, and period of the weed-crop competition. High weed interference may decrease 65% of marketable tuber yield by reducing the number and size of marketable tubers. Weeds not only decrease potato tuber yield but also negatively influence the antioxidant enzymatic activity and primary metabolites of the potato plant. Estimates have shown that the starch content of potato tuber decreases by 10% and protein content by 36% in potato-weed competition. These findings suggest that weed competition can substantially impact potato growth and development and that effective weed management strategies are critical for optimizing potato yields and quality. This review summarizes the recent progress on how potato plants initially respond to weed interference at morphological, biochemical, and physiological levels.