S03 - Session P2 - Hi-tech seed potato production system: prospects and problems

Authors: Harishchandra Prasad Singh *

Production potential of potato, being a vegetatively propagated crop, is highly dependent on quality of the seed potato used for raising the crop. Early research on potato seed started in the beginning of the 20 th century with selection of "true to type" plants to maintain varietal purity and, "disease free hills" for maintaining disease freedom. Concept of climate based "differentiated areas" was brought in to take advantage of absence /low vector population and slow degeneration rate of the seed stocks. Elite tubers which are comparatively free from viral diseases were also used as basic seed material to sieve- out viral infection from the seed stock. However major impetus to production of disease free potato seed was given by concept of "tuber indexing" that was enriched by development of appropriate diagnostics from time to time. This led to quantum jump in potato seed production in European countries . India and Japan were the only two countries from Asia, which employed tuber indexing for potato seed production. But slow rate of seed multiplication continued to be the major bottleneck. Hi-Tech seed production based on" tissue culture" and subsequent multiplication through hydroponics, aeroponics and soilless media has taken care of all the issues mentioned above . Developing countries ,especially India and China have been the major beneficiaries, although other countries have also taken advantage of this system. Many private sector companies have entered into potato seed production business leading to enhanced availability of quality potato seed. In India, seed replacement rate was only 8 to 10 per cent which has increased to over 15 % in recent past. Within next 3 to 4 years it is likely to increase further to over 20%. This has helped in expansion of area under potato and at the same time has led to increase in potato productivity. The paper deals with seed production techniques and its large scale adoption.