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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #387014
Research Project: Maximizing the Impact of Potato Genebank Resources: Development and Evaluation of a Wild Species Genotype Diversity Panel

Location: Vegetable Crops Research

Title: Seeds of change

Author
item Bethke, Paul

Submitted to: Trade Journal Publication
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/9/2022
Publication Date: 9/1/2022
Citation: Bethke, P.C. 2022. Seeds of change. Trade Journal Publication. 73:64-66.

Interpretive Summary: There is interest worldwide in producing hybrid potato varieties that can be propagated from botanical seed rather than from tuber seed. How botanical seed will be incorporated into commercial potato production depends on the cost and difficulty of using those seeds. In this article, we report on early trials that used seeds, and transplants produced from seeds, to establish potato plants in sandy-soil field plots. Transplants were put in by hand and with a mechanical transplanter. All transplants grew well. Botanical seeds were planted using various methods and some of those methods resulted in relatively uniform establishment of seedlings. These finding will inform potato growers and researchers who are interested in how new potato breeding methods may change the way that some potatoes are grown.

Technical Abstract: Potato breeders worldwide are exploring the possibility of developing diploid hybrid potato varieties produced from inbred parents. These varieties would be planted as true potato seed, but the details of how this would be done in commercial practice are not known. One option is direct seeding of fields and another option is producing seedlings in a greenhouse and planting them using a mechanical transplanter. In this article, we report on early trials that used seeds, and transplants produced from seeds, to establish potato plants in sandy-soil field plots. Transplants were put in by hand and with a mechanical transplanter. All transplants grew well. Botanical seeds were planted using various methods and some of those methods resulted in relatively uniform establishment of seedlings. These finding will inform potato growers and researchers who are interested in diploid potato breeding and how it might change the potato industry.