What is a true potato seed?

TPS are the tiny botanical seeds formed in potato fruits after sexual reproduction, not the tubers used for vegetative planting. They look like tomato seeds and can be sown directly or raised in nurseries to make seedlings or seedling tubers.

How TPS is produced

• Flowers pollinate → small berry forms.
• Seeds extracted from berries.
• Seeds fermented to remove gel, then dried and stored.

Why use TPS

• Disease-free: Avoids tuber-borne viruses.
• Tiny input: ~100 g/ha vs 2–2.5 t/ha of seed tubers.
• Lower costs: Cheaper transport and storage; no cold store needed.

Ways to grow

• Direct seeding: Possible but delicate due to tiny seed size.
• Nursery → transplant: Raise seedlings ~30 days, then field transplant.
• Seedling tubers: Produce small tubers first, then use them as commercial seed.