Potato from seed [not seed potato]
Oct 13, 2016 21:35:53 GMT 10
ziggysdad, frontsight, and 1 more like this
Post by shinester on Oct 13, 2016 21:35:53 GMT 10
Potatoes are commonly available as 'seed potatoes' which is the tubers, much like you would buy at the supermarket. The reason you grow these and not the ones from the supermarket is disease can be present in what you get from the supermarket.
Now another option that I learned from frontsight mentioning it in another post, is growing potatoes from seeds. I had consider this previously though thought that they were like hybrid plants such as 'most potato varieties are unable to make fruits or produce seeds. - source'. 'The vast majority of cultivated potato varieties do not normally set fruit. This is due to what I believe to be bad choices by plant breeders for many centuries which created a crop that is heavily contaminated by cytoplasmic male sterility and/or other sterility inducing factors - source.' Seems like there's exceptions, these are called True Potato Seed. [TPS]
Storage
Yield
Lower yield, though what do we care, storage is our issue. Besides you can use the tubers after your first crop.
Breeding
The Amateur Potato Breeder’s Manual - Free PDF
Sources of seed
I've only found the 1 seller on ebay, 25 seeds for $7, 2 varieties, not all states. I'll adjust this if someone knows of another source.
Now another option that I learned from frontsight mentioning it in another post, is growing potatoes from seeds. I had consider this previously though thought that they were like hybrid plants such as 'most potato varieties are unable to make fruits or produce seeds. - source'. 'The vast majority of cultivated potato varieties do not normally set fruit. This is due to what I believe to be bad choices by plant breeders for many centuries which created a crop that is heavily contaminated by cytoplasmic male sterility and/or other sterility inducing factors - source.' Seems like there's exceptions, these are called True Potato Seed. [TPS]
Storage
How are they grown?
True potato seeds are grown much like tomatoes. I start seeds in the greenhouse 6-8 weeks before the last frost, and transplant them into the garden where they grow and produce tubers just like any other potato plant. No more than 8 weeks should be allowed in order to minimize the chance of tuberization which disrupts the growth pattern of transplants. Due to the delicate nature of their stems, potato seedlings grow best in very bright light (direct sun or close to a grow light).
The way that has worked easiest for me is to plant the potato seeds in a pot in 1/2" soil, and after the first true leaves form (in a month) to cover the stem right up to the leaves. I usually lay the stems down before covering them. Then a few weeks later I add more soil and cover the stem and lower leaves. Repeat as necessary. I plant about 3 to 6 seeds per pot and thin to the most vigorous seedling. After 8 weeks the potatoes are growing in about 2" of soil and are poking out of the soil about 2". Stolons are beginning to form so they need to get into the ground ASAP after 8 weeks. I bury most of the stem when transplanting.
To continuously improve the planting stock I plant tubers from the best plants of the previous year's harvest and allow them to cross-pollinate with the seedlings. (Tubers from about 1/3 of the seedlings are saved for planting next year.) To increase diversity I add new genes to the population on a regular basis. In 2010 and 2011 I am growing seeds that were collected from populations endemic to Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile I am also growing mixed landraces from the Andes, Boliva, and Peru.
Potato fruits look like marble sized green tomatoes. The seeds are collected in the fall. I do not worry about the potato fruits stealing vigor from the tubers, because plants that produce lots of fruit in my garden are vigorous and also produce lots of tubers.
True potato seeds are grown much like tomatoes. I start seeds in the greenhouse 6-8 weeks before the last frost, and transplant them into the garden where they grow and produce tubers just like any other potato plant. No more than 8 weeks should be allowed in order to minimize the chance of tuberization which disrupts the growth pattern of transplants. Due to the delicate nature of their stems, potato seedlings grow best in very bright light (direct sun or close to a grow light).
The way that has worked easiest for me is to plant the potato seeds in a pot in 1/2" soil, and after the first true leaves form (in a month) to cover the stem right up to the leaves. I usually lay the stems down before covering them. Then a few weeks later I add more soil and cover the stem and lower leaves. Repeat as necessary. I plant about 3 to 6 seeds per pot and thin to the most vigorous seedling. After 8 weeks the potatoes are growing in about 2" of soil and are poking out of the soil about 2". Stolons are beginning to form so they need to get into the ground ASAP after 8 weeks. I bury most of the stem when transplanting.
To continuously improve the planting stock I plant tubers from the best plants of the previous year's harvest and allow them to cross-pollinate with the seedlings. (Tubers from about 1/3 of the seedlings are saved for planting next year.) To increase diversity I add new genes to the population on a regular basis. In 2010 and 2011 I am growing seeds that were collected from populations endemic to Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile I am also growing mixed landraces from the Andes, Boliva, and Peru.
Potato fruits look like marble sized green tomatoes. The seeds are collected in the fall. I do not worry about the potato fruits stealing vigor from the tubers, because plants that produce lots of fruit in my garden are vigorous and also produce lots of tubers.
Yield
Lower yield, though what do we care, storage is our issue. Besides you can use the tubers after your first crop.
Abstract: In producing a commercial potato crop from true potato seeds (TPS), ware potato crop can be grown by: direct sowing of TPS in the field for production of seed or ware tubers; raising seedlings from TPS in a greenhouse or seedbed and transplanting them later into the field for production of seed or ware tubers in the same season and; direct sowing of TPS in seedbeds at close spacing for production of seedling tubers for producing a commercial crop in the next season. Each propagation method has its advantages and disadvantages. Based on this background, a study was conducted whose objective was to compare the effectiveness of seedling tubers and seedling transplants in production of a potato crop from true potato seeds. Four potato varieties commonly grown by farmers in Kenya were crossed with five advanced clones from the International Potato Center (CIP) in a North Carolina II mating design to generate twenty cross families. The berries were harvested and seedlings were raised on sand-beds in plastic trays. Later, they were propagated as seedling tubers and seedling transplants in the field at Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), National Potato Research Centre at Tigoni between March and July 2013. At harvest, data collected included tuber numbers/plant, total weight of tubers per plant (kg) and weight of ware tubers (45 mm< in diameter) per plant (kg). The general observation was that the seedling transplants gave significantly more tubers per plant (15.68) than the seedling tubers (13.08); the reverse was the case when it came to total tuber yield (ton/ha) and percent of ware sized tuber yield. Although seedling transplants took a shorter time to produce a potato crop of commercial value, the low tuber yields (ton/ha) and percentage ware tubers renders this propagation method unsuitable for ware potato production unless there is a market for baby tubers. - source
The Amateur Potato Breeder’s Manual - Free PDF
Sources of seed
I've only found the 1 seller on ebay, 25 seeds for $7, 2 varieties, not all states. I'll adjust this if someone knows of another source.
