Trace Elements in Potato

• Published in: Potato research Vol. 57; no. 3-4; pp. 311 - 325
• Main Author: Tack, Filip M. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.12.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cultivars; Food safety; Heavy metals; Life Sciences; Metal concentrations; Nutritive value; Organic matter; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Potatoes; Soil management; Soil properties; Toxicity; Trace elements; Vegetables; Potato; Environment; Trace elements; Heavy metals; Soil-plant relationship
• ISSN: 0014-3065; 1871-4528
• DOI: 10.1007/s11540-014-9268-y

Trace elements occur in low quantities in the environment but have a crucial importance. Some elements are essential for life whereas many elements exhibit toxicity when exposure to them is too high. In this contribution, trace elements in potato are addressed. Although potato is a crop growing in the soil, the tuber does not intensively accumulate trace elements. Concentrations of trace elements are in the range of other vegetables. Generally, potato exhibits a rather low nutritional value for trace elements, with the exception of Fe, Cr, and Cu, although specific cultivars may provide significant contributions to the intake of several elements. Trace element uptake depends strongly on the plant and also on the growing environment. Soil properties that influence uptake include pH, contents of clay and organic matter, and salinity. In soils with baseline metal concentrations, concentrations of potentially toxic elements are of no concern, but Cd needs to be monitored. Environmental care and good soil management is a must to safeguard the safety of food, including potato.