Alleviating potato seed tuber shortage in developing countries: Potential of true potato seeds

Although potato is an important food and cash crop globally, its production in developing countries is hampered by constraints such as low soil fertility, pest and diseases and inadequate supply of good quality seed tubers. Lack of good quality seed is mostly a consequent of the prevailing seeds system; in most developing countries, majority of farmers recycle their own seeds or get them from informal sources. This leads to seed degeneration and buildup of tuber-borne diseases and hence low yields. In mitigating the problem of shortage of good quality seeds, strategies to rapidly multiply the seed tubers such as tissue culture in conjunction with hydroponics and aeroponics have been tried. However, these are expensive for most developing countries and thus unsustainable. Use of true potato seeds (TPS) is a technology that might solve the problem once and for all. The seeds are cheap, easy to carry and store, can be stored for long and do not transmit most diseases. The technology needs to be given serious thought and should be promoted in most developing countries so as to increase potato yields.