The BBCH-scale (potato) identifies the

phenological Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation). Examples include the date of emergence of leav ...

development stages of a

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Un ...

(''Solanum tuberosum''). It is a plant species-specific version of the

BBCH-scale The BBCH-scale is used to identify the phenological development stages of plants. BBCH-scales have been developed for a range of crop species where similar growth stages of each plant are given the same code. Phenological development stages of plan ...

. {, class="wikitable" style="clear" !rowspan="2", Growth stage!!colspan="2", Code!!rowspan="2", Description , - !2 digit!!3 digit , - , rowspan="9" style="vertical-align:top", 0: Sprouting/Germination , 00 , , 000 , , Innate or enforced dormancy, Dry seed

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

not sprouted , - , 01 , , 001 , , Beginning of sprouting: Beginning of sprouts visible (< 1 mm) seed

imbibition Imbibition is a special type of diffusion that takes place when liquid is absorbed by solids-colloids causing an increase in volume. Water surface potential movement takes place along a concentration gradient; some dry materials absorb water. A ...

, - , 02 , , 002 , , Sprouts upright (< 2 mm) , - , 03 , , 003 , , End of dormancy: sprouts 2–3 mm Seed imbibition complete , - , 05 , , 005 , , Beginning of root formation

Radicle In botany, the radicle is the first part of a seedling (a growing plant embryo) to emerge from the seed during the process of germination. The radicle is the embryonic root of the plant, and grows downward in the soil (the shoot emerges from the ...

(root) emerged from seed , - , 07 , , 007 , , Beginning of stem formation

Hypocotyl The hypocotyl (short for "hypocotyledonous stem", meaning "below seed leaf") is the stem of a germinating seedling, found below the cotyledons (seed leaves) and above the radicle (root). Eudicots As the plant embryo grows at germination, it sen ...

with

cotyledon A cotyledon (; ; ; , gen. (), ) is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, and is defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed." The num ...

s breaking , - , 08 , , 008 , , Stems growing towards soil surface, Hypocotyl with formation of scale leaves in the

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

s; cotyledons growing of which

stolon In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external ...

s will develop later towards soil surface , - , rowspan="2", 09 , , 009 , , Emergence: stems break through soil surface; cotyledons break through soil surface , - , 021–029¹, , , - , rowspan="16" style="vertical-align:top", 1: Leaf development , 10 , , 100 , , From tuber: first leaves begin to extend
From seed: cotyledons completely unfolded , - , 11 , , 101 , , First leaf of main stem unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , 12 , , 102 , , Second leaf of main stem unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , 13 , , 103 , , Third leaf of main stem unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , 1 . , , 10 . , , Stages continuous till ... , - , rowspan="2", 19 , , 109 , , Nine or more leaves of main stem unfolded (> 4 cm) (2 digit);² 9 leaves of main stem unfolded (> 4 cm) (3 digit) , - , 110 , , Tenth leaf of main stem unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , rowspan="4", 11 ., , , , Stages continuous till ... , - , 119 , , Nineteenth leaf of main stem unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , 121 , , First leaf of second order branch above first

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , 122 , , Second leaf of second order branch above first inflorescence unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , rowspan="3", 12 ., , , , Stages continuous till ... , - , 131 , , First leaf of third order branch above second inflorescence unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , 132 , , Second leaf of third order branch above second inflorescence unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , rowspan="2", 13 . , , , , Stages continuous till ... , - , 1NX , , Xth leaf of nth order branch above (n-1)th inflorescence unfolded (> 4 cm) , - , rowspan="5" style="vertical-align:top", 2: Formation of basal side shoots below and above soil surface (main stem) , 21 , , 201 , , First basal side shoot visible (> 5 cm) , - , 22 , , 202 , , Second basal side shoot visible (> 5 cm) , - , 23 , , 203 , , Third basal side shoot visible (> 5 cm) , - , 2 . , , 20 . , , Stages continuous till ... , - , 29 , , 209 , , Nine or more basal side shoots visible (> 5 cm) , - , rowspan="9" style="vertical-align:top", 3: Main stem elongation (crop cover) , 31 , , 301 , , Beginning of crop cover: 10% of plants meet between rows , - , 32 , , 302 , , 20% of plants meet between rows , - , 33 , , 303 , , 30% of plants meet between rows , - , 34 , , 304 , , 40% of plants meet between rows , - , 35 , , 305 , , 50% of plants meet between rows , - , 36 , , 306 , , 60% of plants meet between rows , - , 37 , , 307 , , 70% of plants meet between rows , - , 38 , , 308 , , 80% of plants meet between rows , - , 39 , , 309 , , Crop cover complete: about 90% of plants meet between rows , - , rowspan="10" style="vertical-align:top", 4: Tuber formation , 40 , , 400 , , Tuber initiation: swelling of first stolon tips to twice the diameter of subtending stolon , - , 41 , , 401 , , 10% of total final tuber mass reached , - , 42 , , 402 , , 20% of total final tuber mass reached , - , 43 , , 403 , , 30% of total final tuber mass reached , - , 44 , , 404 , , 40% of total final tuber mass reached , - , 45 , , 405 , , 50% of total final tuber mass reached , - , 46 , , 406 , , 60% of total final tuber mass reached , - , 47 , , 407 , , 70% of total final tuber mass reached , - , 48 , , 408 , , Maximum of total tuber mass reached, tubers detach easily from stolons, skin set not yet complete (skin easily removable with thumb) , - , 49 , , 409 , , Skin set complete: (skin at

apical Apical means "pertaining to an apex". It may refer to: * Apical ancestor, refers to the last common ancestor of an entire group, such as a species (biology) or a clan (anthropology) *Apical (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features l ...

end of tuber not removable with thumb) 95% of tubers in this stage , - , rowspan="10" style="vertical-align:top", 5: Inflorescence (cyme) emergence , 51 , , 501 , , First individual buds (1–2 mm) of first inflorescence visible (main stem) , - , 55 , , 505 , , Buds of first inflorescence extended to 5 mm , - , rowspan="7", 59 , , 509 , , First flower petals of first inflorescence visible , - , 521 , , Individual buds of second inflorescence visible (second order branch) , - , 525 , , Buds of second inflorescence extended to 5 mm open (main stem) , - , 529 , , First flower petals of second inflorescence visible above sepals , - , 531 , , Individual buds of third inflorescence visible (third order branch) , - , 535 , , Buds of third inflorescence extended to 5 mm , - , 539 , , First flower petals of third inflorescence visible above sepals , - , 5N . , , , , Nth inflorescence emerging , - , rowspan="18" style="vertical-align:top", 6: Flowering , 60 , , 600 , , First open flowers in population , - , 61 , , 601 , , Beginning of flowering: 10% of flowers in the first inflorescence open (main stem) , - , 62 , , 602 , , 20% of flowers in the first inflorescence open , - , 63 , , 603 , , 30% of flowers in the first inflorescence open , - , 64 , , 604 , , 40% of flowers in the first inflorescence open , - , 65 , , 605 , , Full flowering: 50% of flowers in the first inflorescence open , - , 66 , , 606 , , 60% of flowers in the first inflorescence open , - , 67 , , 607 , , 70% of flowers in the first inflorescence open , - , 68 , , 608 , , 80% of flowers in the first inflorescence open , - , 69 , , 609 , , End of flowering in the first inflorescence , - , , , 621 , , Beginning of flowering: 10% of flowers in the second inflorescence open (second order branch) , - , , , 625 , , Full flowering: 50% of flowers in the second inflorescence open , - , , , 629 , , End of flowering in the 2nd inflorescence , - , , , 631 , , Beginning of flowering: 10% of flowers in the third inflorescence open (third order branch) , - , , , 635 , , Full flowering: 50% of flowers in the third inflorescence open , - , , , 639 , , End of flowering in the third inflorescence , - , rowspan="2", 6N ., , , , Nth inflorescence flowering , - , 6N9 , , End of flowering , - , rowspan="8" style="vertical-align:top", 7: Development of fruit , 70 , , 700 , , First berries visible , - , 71 , , 701 , , 10% of berries in the first

fructification Fructification () are the generative parts of the plant (flower and fruit) (as opposed to its vegetative parts: trunk, roots and leaves). Sometimes it is applied more broadly to the generative parts of gymnosperms, ferns, horsetails, and lycophy ...

have reached full size (main stem) , - , 72 , , 702 , , 20% of berries in the first fructification have reached full size , - , 73 , , 703 , , 30% of berries in the first fructification have reached full size , - , rowspan="2", 7 . , , 70 . , , Stages continuous till ... , - , 721 , , 10% of berries in the second fructification have reached full size (second order branch) , - , rowspan="2", 7N . , , , , Development of berries in nth fructification , - , 7N9 , , Nearly all berries in the nth fructification have reached full size (or have been shed) , - , rowspan="5" style="vertical-align:top", 8: Ripening of fruit and seed , 81 , , 801 , , Berries in the first fructification still green, seed light-coloured (main stem) , - , 85 , , 805 , , Berries in the first fructification ochre-coloured or brownish , - , rowspan="2", 89 , , 809 , , Berries in the first fructification shrivelled, seed dark , - , 821 , , Berries in the second fructification still green, seed light-coloured (second order branch) , - , 8N . , , , , Ripening of fruit and seed in nth fructification , - , rowspan="5" style="vertical-align:top", 9: Senescence , 91 , , 901 , , Beginning of leaf yellowing , - , 93 , , 903 , , Most of the leaves yellowish , - , 95 , , 905 , , 50% of the leaves brownish , - , 97 , , 907 , , Leaves and stem dead, stems bleached and dry , - , 99 , , 909 , , Harvested product 1 For second generation sprouts
2 Stem development stops after termination of main stem by an inflorescence. Branches arise from axils of upper leaves of the main stem, exhibiting a

sympodial Sympodial growth is a bifurcating branching pattern where one branch develops more strongly than the other, resulting in the stronger branches forming the primary shoot and the weaker branches appearing laterally. A sympodium, also referred to a ...

branching pattern

References

* H. Hack, H. Gall, Th. Klemke, R. Klose, U. Meier, R. Stauss, A. Witzenberger. 2001. The BBCH scale for phenological growth stages of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). U. Meier (Ed.), Growth Stages of Mono and Dicotyledonous Plants, BBCH Monograph, Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry.

External links

A downloadable version of the BBCH ScalesAlternative link to pdf above
BBCH-scale