True potato seed production in Potato

True potato seed

        The non-availability of good quality seed tubers, high seed cost, virus infiltration in seed tubers causing degeneration of seed stocks and problems of long distance transport of seed from seed producing areas have led to the development of true potato seed (TPS) technology of crop production. This technology envisages the use of botanical seed or TPS for crop production. It has gained significance because unlike seed tubers, the TPS can be produced in all parts of the country providing extra light for 4–5 hours depending upon climatic condition. It can be easily stored over long periods of time. Disease transmission by TPS is negligible and it provides cheap planting material. About 100–120g TPS is enough to raise a seedling crop or if the commercial crop is to be produced using seedling tubers, the produce of 40–45g TPS is enough to plant one hectare crop next year. They also provide better disease resistance because of high heterogeneity in the population.

         A ware crop of potato, using TPS can be raised either through transplanting of seedlings in field or by using seedling tubers as planting material. In the first method, seed is sown in nursery beds containing soil of proper physical structure, fertility and moisture as practised for seedling production of other vegetable crops. Seedlings of 4–5 leaf stage are transplanted in field to raise the crop. This method of raising a ware crop has been successful in Bihar, Gujarat, plateau region of Madhya Pradesh and Tripura where adverse temperatures do not limit the crop growth. In Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, this method is not very successful owing to high temperature in September and low temperature from November which restrict the crop grown resulting in poor yield. In the second method, making use of seedling tubers as planting material, the seedlings can be grown in nursery beds till maturity or they can be transplanted in field to produce tubers which are used as seed for raising the commercial crop next year. The crop production using seedling tubers is successful in all potato-growing regions of the country. The crop yields are also higher with seedling tubers rather than seedling transplanting method of propagation. This technology is becoming popular in Bihar, Karnataka and Tripura.