Potato Aeroponics: Harvest Interval, Productivity, and Plant Growth Traits During Autumn–Winter Cultivation in a Moderate Continental Climate

This study evaluated the effect of harvest interval on minituber production and characterized plant growth in four potato cultivars grown aeroponically during the autumn–winter season in a plastic greenhouse under a moderate continental climate. The cultivars Agria, Désirée, Dragačevski Mesečar, and Festival were evaluated at two harvest intervals (10-day and 20-day). All four cultivars developed successfully and produced minitubers throughout the autumn–winter season, with high survival rates following acclimatization. Cultivars differed significantly in plant survival, growth characteristics, productivity, tuber size distribution, and aerial tuber formation. Festival achieved the highest minituber productivity, whereas Désirée produced the highest number of tubers per plant. The 10-day harvest interval increased the number of harvested minitubers by 17.7% compared with the 20-day interval (p = 0.023), primarily due to an increase in the number of tubers in the smaller diameter categories. However, harvest interval did not significantly affect total tuber yield (p = 0.918) or the number of tubers >25 mm (p = 0.824), whereas cultivar significantly affected both traits (p < 0.001 for both). Taken together, these results support the feasibility of an additional autumn–winter production cycle for pre-basic seed potato multiplication using greenhouse-based aeroponics under moderate continental climate conditions.