Challenges in the Production of High-Quality Seed Potatoes (<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L.) in the Tropics and Subtropics

Abstract

The potato has been a widely used vegetable crop in temperate countries for a long time. Its consumption and the area of its cultivation has increased significantly over the past decades in the tropics and subtropics as well. The main problems of potato producers in the tropics and subtropics are the unsatisfactory quality of seed potatoes, mainly derived from the informal seed supply system, and the insufficient availability and high cost of certified seed potatoes. The hope for improving this situation can be the application of soil-less technologies for minituber production under controlled conditions. This publication focuses on important advantages of the aeroponic system in the production of pre-basic seed potatoes in the tropics and subtropics. It also highlights some deficiencies that can be overcome with the involvement of several actors in the potato industry, including local universities and the private sector. It emphasizes that innovative aeroponic installations are an opportunity to increase the production of high-quality seed potatoes in the countries of the tropics and subtropics, which, in many cases, will result in less dependence on expensive imported seed potatoes, often from a different climate zone. The introduction of aeroponic installations conserves the shrinking natural soil and water resources and contributes to their protection.

Keywords

• aeroponics
• high-quality seed potatoes
• potato yield
• pre-basic seed potatoes