Potato cultivation is undergoing a revolution in Haryana with the setting up of North India's first aeroponic laboratory by Potato Technology Institute in Shamgarh village of Karnal. The efforts in this direction that were started four years ago are now showing promising results. Manoj Bhanukar, in charge of the Potato Technology Institute at Shamgarh, explained that the use of aeroponic technology was introduced here several years ago. This technique allows potatoes to be cultivated without soil.
"We often see potatoes cultivated in fields, but here potatoes are cultivated in the air. Water is not directly applied to the crop, but rather, it is delivered to the plant roots through steam, which results in significant plant growth in a short period of time," he explained.
He said that testing was started on only two or three varieties. "However, this technology has yielded very positive results and today, work is being done on approximately seven varieties of potatoes," he said. Bhanukar underlined that the Institute's goal is to provide high-quality seed to potato farmers so that they can harvest it themselves and become financially strong.
The Potato Technology Institute is working on several improved and processing varieties such as Kufri Chip Sona-1 and Kufri Fry Sona while using aeroponics. New varieties such as Kufri Himalini, Kufri Uday and Kufri Pushkar are also being focused upon. A variety like Kufri Uday has also been included.
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