Mini tuber production on stored potatoes: An innovation in seed production and its dimensions

Mini/little seed tuber production on stored potatoes is a new innovation in seed potato production. The technique utilizes the principles of temperature & light conditions of tuber induction in vitro on physiologically older tubers having secondry and tertiary sprouts produced naturally in dark at 8–16°C. Each old mother tuber produces more than 20 daughter minitubers in clusters in almost all notified commercial cultivars in polythene bags except Kufri Badshah and Gulmarg Special which performed poorly. Through this technique more than 20,000 minitubers could be produced in 1m³ area. This paper deals with the myths, advantages, achievements, success, future vision and agriculture implication of the technique. The off season utilization of 46% space of 3167 cold stores of the country has been projected in which seed potato for 10,88,900 ha can be produced in 1,08,26,627 m³ space. It will spare 1,65,482 ha additional land for production of table/seed potato and will make available 64,52,300t additional potato for export as seed or for consumption. 80% of the seed, presently being used for production of potato in 10,88,900 ha, may be saved and only 20% seed will be required for minituber production. The technique predicts 36% increase in the total availability of potatoes as seed or table potatoes over the present production.