Hybrid Seed Could Revolutionize Potato Industry

2015 - Volume #39, Issue #1, Page #25

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Most readers of FARM SHOW have likely planted potatoes the conventional way, by sticking tubers into the ground. A Saskatchewan company is hoping to revolutionize potato production by growing potatoes using “true potato seed” (TPS) technology.

    Tuberosum Technologies, Inc. (TTI), headquartered in Broderick, Sask., has completed 3 years of hybrid potato seed testing and is optimistic that commercial potato production using seed is not too far off. “We’ve identified a half dozen experimental TPS hybrids that are fairly consistent for tuber yield, size, shape and color,” says Dr. Khyal Thakur, TTI Director of Research and Development. Thakur says true seed is the tiny botanical seed inside tomato-like green fruits, called berries, which develop following self or cross pollination in the flowers on potato plants. The tiny fruits appear naturally on some but not all potato varieties.

    There are many benefits to using true seed for propagation. Developing new varieties would be much faster than the 15-year process using clonal research of tubers. TPS would also eliminate inefficiencies in storage and transportion of tuber seed. Thakur says the seeds store well and they produce healthier potatoes because common diseases are eliminated or drastically reduced. The cost of 100 grams of TPS needed to plant one hectare would be substantially lower than 3 tons of seed tubers needed to plant the same area.

    TPS can be used to grow potatoes in 3 different ways: 1) Raising seedlings from TPS and transplanting in a field at 3 to 4 weeks; 2) Direct seeding similar to the way sugar beets, canola, wheat and barley are propagated; and 3) Using mini-tubers from previously grown TPS plants that can be planted the following year.

    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tuberosum Technologies, P.O. Box 35, Broderick, Sask., Canada S0H0L0 (ph 306 867-1212; info@tuberosumtechnologies.com).

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Hybrid Seed Could Revolutionize Potato Industry CROPS Miscellaneous Most readers of FARM SHOW have likely planted potatoes the conventional way by sticking tubers into the ground A Saskatchewan company is hoping to revolutionize potato production by growing potatoes using “true potato seed” TPS technology

    Tuberosum Technologies Inc TTI headquartered in Broderick Sask has completed 3 years of hybrid potato seed testing and is optimistic that commercial potato production using seed is not too far off “We’ve identified a half dozen experimental TPS hybrids that are fairly consistent for tuber yield size shape and color ” says Dr Khyal Thakur TTI Director of Research and Development Thakur says true seed is the tiny botanical seed inside tomato-like green fruits called berries which develop following self or cross pollination in the flowers on potato plants The tiny fruits appear naturally on some but not all potato varieties

    There are many benefits to using true seed for propagation Developing new varieties would be much faster than the 15-year process using clonal research of tubers TPS would also eliminate inefficiencies in storage and transportion of tuber seed Thakur says the seeds store well and they produce healthier potatoes because common diseases are eliminated or drastically reduced The cost of 100 grams of TPS needed to plant one hectare would be substantially lower than 3 tons of seed tubers needed to plant the same area

    TPS can be used to grow potatoes in 3 different ways: 1 Raising seedlings from TPS and transplanting in a field at 3 to 4 weeks; 2 Direct seeding similar to the way sugar beets canola wheat and barley are propagated; and 3 Using mini-tubers from previously grown TPS plants that can be planted the following year

    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tuberosum Technologies P O Box 35 Broderick Sask Canada S0H0L0 ph 306 867-1212; info@tuberosumtechnologies com

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