Marco, S., The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan, 50 250, Israel
The Mount Katerina area is isolated, in the middle of the Sinai Desert, and its peak is at an altitude of 2647 m. Trapping with yellow water traps showed that winged aphid populations are small and active mainly in the spring and only until May. Virus-tested tubers of cv. Up-do-Date were planted on 18 May and harvested on 27-29 September. No PLRV, PVY or PVX infection was detected in 319 haulm samples and in 96 progeny tubers. When the Mt Katerina tubers were planted the next spring, they yielded 11% and 7% more than imported and Golan seeds respectively (non-significant differences) and emerged to a greater extent. The results indicate that the Mt Katerina area may be suitable for growing high quality seed-potatoes. © 1984 Kluwer Academic Publishers.