The state government has established centres of excellence in Kushinagar and Hapur to produce good quality potato seeds, or tubers, using aeroponics. "Because soil is the biggest source of contamination, a soil-less medium is being used at these centres," said sources in the horticulture department.
At present, potato seeds are cloned at govt farms from the breeder seeds obtained from the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), headquartered in Shimla with regional centres in several states, including UP. Potatoes are not only grown for the crop but also for the seeds. However, the clones need to be replaced after five years due to degeneration. Besides, seed production in potatoes costs 50% of the total cost of production for the crop.
"Better quality seeds are needed to reduce the cost of production," said sources. Seeds must be disease-resistant, genetically true to type and high yielding. A plant grown from a good quality seed may produce 50-60 tubers, which can be sown to grow potatoes.
UP is the largest producer of potatoes in the country, producing 240 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes in a year, which accounts for over one-third of all potato production annually. It has seven lakh hectares under potato cultivation and may need over forty quintals of seeds for every hectare that is used for potato cultivation.
Read more at Times of India
