ISHS Acta Horticulturae 380: Symposium on Tropical Root Crops in a Developping Economy
POTATO PRODUCTION FROM TRUE POTATO SEED |
| Authors: | L.C. Sikka, A.S. Bhagari, J.M. Ssebuliba, R. Kanzikwera |
| Abstract:
The paper presents the results of an investigation on different aspects of true potato seed (TPS) for raising potato instead of costly seed tubers from 1989 to 1991. Relatively high plant density in the nursery beds and better management raised the yield of seedling tubers. Mean yield of 10 TPS progenies was 8.1 kg/m2 ranging from 3.9 to 12.6 kg/m2, while number of tuber averaged 367/m2 with a range of 222 to 533/m2 in the long rain cropping season. Similar results were obtained in the following short rain crop season. Tuber yields as transplants in 9 TPS progenies ranged from 18.2 to 95.3 t/ha with a mean of 57.0 t/ha. Their mean fresh tuber weight was 36–90 g with an overall mean of 45 g and comparable to that of improved potato varieties raised conventionally. TPS progenies were uniform phenotypically for foliage and tuber characters with negligible segregation. The average open-pollinated (OP) tuber yields were equal to yields of the best hybrid progenies. Seedling tubers as propagules derived from TPS were as productive as those raised from tubers. The results indicated that TPS has future promise as a low cost and a low risk technology. | |
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