Vandana A. Kumar and Atul KumarG.B.PANT UNIVERSITY OF AG.&TECH.,INDIA

Currently, India : the third‐largest producer in the world. The production level hovers around 25‐28 million tonnes. Produces around 8% of the world’s total produce. The productivity level is nearly 17‐20 tonnes/ha.By 2020 : 1.3 billion population of India will need 49

million tonnes of potato: certainly a challenging task ???

Production of healthy seed potato - accounts for about 40-50% of total cost of cultivation.

Breeder’ seed : Reaches the farmers : 7-8 field exposures : For raising a ware crop (only 30% of ‘Breeder’ seed requirement of country met through FORMAL system).

Requirement of quality potato seed growing farmers: not fully met through ‘Formal seed supply chain’

Indian scenario……..

The INFORMAL system‐more important and prevalent than FORMAL system in most potato growing countries. FORMAL systems are, as a rule, unable to provide the quantities 

needed for majority of potato growing farmers. But…

INFORMAL system ‐ *widespread informal exchange of potato seed and  *based on mutual trust & obligation for promised quality/variety

Depends on FORMAL system: needs , now and then, *fresh clean material or *new varieties to continue.

Hence, in more and more potato growing countries, the govt. authorities/agricultural institutions have begun to realize the role of INFORMAL sector and have started supporting it actively. 

Production of clonal disease free quality seed material–Through in vitro multiplication methods using nodal segments of disease free mother plants of latest released / recommended varieties.–Field planting of in vitro propagated planting material (hardened microplants/microtuber-raised plats) for developing mini tuber seed material.

Enabling farmers by generating awareness amongst them for using this hi‐tech (clonal, disease free) planting material in form of hardened microplants/microtuber‐raised plants/mini tubers.*Testing of this hi‐tech. material at farmers field and recording of yield data, quality of potato tubers produced and tracking  the farmers/ planting material and produce to study the adoption pattern and continuation.Imparting  “ON‐FARM/OFF‐FARM” training towards handling and storage of produce, *to develop CONSORTIUM of potato growers and *to develop confidence regarding this INFORMAL seed production chain and exchange of this material amongst them.

Horticulture Technology Mini‐Mission Mandate with a BROAD OBJECTIVE of INTEGRATION OF    IN VITRO    TECHNIQUES  IN INFORMAL    SEED      

PRODUCTION SYSTEMS      OF      POTATO

FORMAL / INFORMAL SEED PRODUCTION SYSTEM

*Alternate methods of potato seed production Need be incorporated in seed chain Both at in vitro and in vivo level, particularly in Uttarakhandwhere-

•Quality Seed- always a scarcity

*Off season crop is grown

• Proper Storage facility lacks

*Farmers to be trained to become part of Integrated seed production system

•

*Alternate methods of potato seed production Need be incorporated in seed chain Both at in vitro and in vivo level, particularly in Uttarakhandwhere-

•Quality Seed- always a scarcity

*Off season crop is grown

• Proper Storage facility lacks

*Farmers to be trained to become part of Integrated seed production system

•

Q u a l i t y s e e d p r o d u c t i o n a s s u r e s I n c r e a s e i n p r o d u c t i v i t y

Uttarakhand State

PRODUCTION : 3rd Highest  28 million tonnes ≈ 8% of world total 

AREA :  4th Highest : 18 lakh Ha

BRIEF OUTLINE….

Starting year : August – 2006 Year up to (Aug.) 2012.

Objectives : (i) Awareness generation amongst farmers, and (ii) Production, distribution and monitoring of quality potato seed material  to farmers 

Technical program (2006-2012) :

(a) Perpetual in vitro propagation : (G 0) : Nucleus seed

MP (Micro-plants) & MTP (Microt-uber –raised plants)

(b) G I, G II, G III, G IV, G V Tuber seed production

(c ) Trainings, Enabling Farmers for bulk seed production

(d) Standardization of crop timings (Hills-Summer, Plains-Winter)

(e) Collaboration with Research Centers for seed production (G1, G2…)

A modern seed potato program must have in vitro capabilities and human resources competent in use of these techniques. Thus virus‐infested material is cleaned up, can be maintained in vitro indefinitely with no danger of re‐infection.Rapid clonal multiplication of clean material possible all the year round with latest in vitro/vivotechnologies.Material multiplied in vitro need be suitably transplanted to produce  clean mini‐tubers (poly‐houses/aeroponic unit). 

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Nodal segment / sprout as explant

Established & proliferated for 4-5 times in MS semisolid medium with

NAA & GA3

‐‐ Tuberization Medium -- MicroplantMS with BA & high sucrose

-- Microtuber induction -- Hardening in Polyhouse

-- Harvest, Storage

-- Germination, sowing -- To the fieldin polyhouse

-- Transplanted in field

Shoot propagules shifted to liquid medium

Stage –I (1st year)

Stage –II (2nd year)

Stage –III (3rd year)

Stage –IV (4th year)

FS-I (5th year)

FS-II (6th year)

Certified (7th year)

Certified I (8th year)

Certified II(9th year)

Breeder seed

(Basic seed)

Foundation seed

Certified seed

Tuber selection and indexing (Nucleus seed)

SEED PRODUCTION-ConventionalINTEGRATED TECHNIQUE

Nucleus seed : 8‐9 months

Indexed mother plant

2‐6 months

2‐3 months

MICROTUBERS from lab to field

1.Improvement of in vitro methods for MT & MP productionA. Single- vs. Double- Node cultures: for shoot proliferation

No. of propagules in different subcultures Multi.Ratio

%Lost

SNC S7 S8 S8 S9 S9195 1841

76.9% + 15.8%Pre LostTubern.

133 132747.0% + 32.7%Pre LostTubern

268 1:9.6 22.8

DNC 210 81232.5% + 0.49%Pre LostTubern.

544 218682.3% + 8.7%Pre LostTubern

195 1: 3.9 6.5

After correction of losses, The multiplicity was 1 : 7.3 in SNC and 1 : 3.7 in DNC

SNC improved efficiency  for shoot proliferation in vitro

B. Comparison of semisolid and liquid medium forrooted MP production

Medium Starting Culture

Subcultured& placed into

Grew as No. of branches at the time of Hardening in polyhouse

Time taken

Semi solid

1 20 Tubes Long shoots

20 1 month

Liquid 1 1 Bottle Several shoot bunches

5 bunches x 4 branches = 20

20 days

Proliferation in liquid medium required less time, material, glassware & manual operations

but was more prone to contamination.

2. Improvement of in vivo methods : 4 methods

A.  Use of MTP   and MP as alternate to seed

Tuber / plant for         MTP = 4.01,            Range    3‐9  Tuber / plant for         MP = 2.18,              Range    2‐4

*MTP can be regenerated, stored year round* MP can be produced and hardened  during peak demand season

both in Hills and Plains.

B.      Multiple harvest  for increasing  tuber seed yield /plantComparison done for one time (H1), two time(H2) and three time(H3) harvests in field from in vitro developed   Micro‐plants

No. of harvests H3 H2 H1

Av. No. (10 plants) 116.22 91.66 42.11

Av. Wt. (10 plants) 1927.48 gm 1690.46 gm 1721.97 gm

C.    Use of Sprouts ‐New way of  large  scale / low  cost  seed tuber production‐Additional high‐grade,   virus‐free,   seed  potato  stock ‐New  source  of  income  to  small  farmers- Tuber yield = 29.19 Kg from 166 sprouts- No. of tubers = 666- Tuber / plant = 4.12

D. Use of stem cuttingswhen crop is delayed and aerial  growth is high,photosynthates are directed  towards storage

- Field grown plant : Cut and transplanted- Age of ~ 2 months- Segments obtained from 1 plant = upto 10- Survival in field = upto 25%- Tuber yield per plant = 2-3 at axillary bud

+ 1-3 at stem base

Gradation of tubers

Size Wt. range in gm

Total No.

%

V. big 80-140 447 5.36Big 50-79.9 661 7.92Medium 25-49.9 1247 14.94Small 15-24.9 1356 16.25V.small 7-14.9 1908 22.86V.v.small < 7.0 2726 32.67Total 8345 100

Harvested at research fields from MTP and MP for 3 years

Parameters LIT HITTuber size 10-20 gm 40-45

gmMultiplication rate

12 times 6 times

Tuber yield 191q/ha 210q/ha

Cost of cultivation

Rs. 31,100

Rs.47,700

Net profit per Re. 0.84 0.31

Low input technology (LIT) vs. High Input technology (HIT)

CPRI Station, Gwalior, MP

Suitable tuber size needed for efficiency improvement 

Trainings & Demonstrations (2011-12)…..Trainings31. 3.11 - Hill Campus :- 2028. 4.11 - village :- 39

8. 9.11 - Hill Campus :- 17923.12.11 - village :- 7 24.12.11 –Res.Stn:- 12

= 275 Farmers

8.9.11 Training8 villages - 179 farmers304 Kg seed - 142 farmers

11 Demonstrations for MTP & MP : 3 varieties (H, GH, HS)

MTP and MP at Res. Stn.= 2792 :- 175 KgMTP at 3 farmers fields = 5105 :- yield awaited

Total MTP ( 7195) + MP (882) = 8077 Area at Res.Stn. (222.75m 2) + farmers’ fields (382.85 m2 )

27 field visits in 15 villages

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SEED PRODUCTION IN LESS TIME : SUCCESS

STORY -1

Chaupariyal Satyon Bageshwar Bageshwar 3 Years2007 2008                  2009                 2009‐10 4 Generations

209(MP)G0 :19Kg 90Kg (G II) 110Kg (G III) 260Kg (G IV)

(G I) 8Kg 7Kg 40 Kg

938 (MP) G0  75Kg (G I) 350Kg (G II) 577Kg (G III)

85Kg  575Kg 4750Kg 2600Kg

2008                      2009               2009‐10        2010

Chaupariyal Chaupariyal Dhanori Dhanori

SEED PRODUCTION IN LESS TIME : SUCCESS

STORY 2

2 years3 Generations

Saud village : Success story - 3

High yields :  20 ‐37 times 18 farmers :49 Kg         681 G II in  2011

1 year saved :  2 crops in 2010 -11 4 farmers : G I       G II G III 160 Kg G III 2100 Kg  G IV in  2011

Seed saved from last year7 Farmers : G I          G II in 2010125 Kg 705 Kg G III in 2011

Earning   in  1   year

Sushil Chand :

In 2010 : G I       G II        G III1000 Kg produced, 880 Kg sold, Rs.22000/‐ earned

In 2011 : 2 Kg        80 Kg G II

For 2012: 120 + 80 Kg seed available

Khushi Ram ‐2008:    938MTP  ‐ 85 Kg

2009:  1335MTP ‐ 104 Kg +  575Kg  from his previous seed350 Kg sold ‐ Rs.7700/‐

2010 :   577Kg seed from previous year Sale for Rs.4000/‐

2011 :   125 GII + 280 Kg GIII seed stock + earned  Rs. 11700/‐ in 2 years

3Chaupariyal village : Success story -4In  2011

Produced G III =   800 KgG IV = 2200 Kg (H)G IV =   250 Kg (S)

Sold as seed 35 Kg to Hem SinghWorth Rs.900/‐

Sold in market Worth Rs. 30,000/‐

Demanding  for 2012 20,000 MP

Anil Goswami : use of MTP2007 -08 : 50 MTP - 7Kg, 2008-09 : 1200MTP - 60 Kg2011-12 : 2100 MTP

Madan Giri2009-10 : 1.8 Q - 35 Q : 25 Q sold 2010-1 1: 8.5 Q - 23 Q : 10 Q sold 2011-12 : 10 Q - 37Q

5Daulatpur village : Success story - 5

Narendra Giri2009-10 : 1.3 Q - 12.5 Q : 5 Q sold to 2 farmers 2010-11 : 4.5 Q - 60 Q :11.5 Q sold to 4 farmers2011-12 : 4.5 Q - 90 Q

Maun village : Success story - 6

14 Farmers : purchased 43 Kg G I = 201011 Farmers : produced 531 Kg GII

20 times yield*Guddi Devi*Siddheshwar Prasad*Bachni Devi

*Trilok Singh2010 = 4 Kg G I 79 Kg G II2011 = 35 Kg G II 300 Kg G III Rs.3600/-2011 = 4 Kg G I 65 Kg G II As Seed for 2012

Seed Acceptability of farmers during 5 years’ work

Year Villages Material given to 

Farmers 

Farmers under 

observation 

2007 06 22 102008 03 18 62009 03 11 82010 09 51 342011 21 150 134Total 42 252 192

Total 192 farmers given seed materialas MP, MTP, G1,G2 G3 seed

21 villages under observation in 2011

G 0 PRODUCTION (IN VITRO) 2011-12

Shoot propagules: H    : > 1200 in S9 GH : > 990   in  S9 HS :> 400    in  S9

MicroplantsTill Feb, 2012K.Himalini=1400

MicrotubersH : 2485, HS :692, GH :2365Total till Dec, 2011=   5542

Future scenario…….Domestic Aeroponic unit: for uniform and repeated harvests of tubers……gaining momentum in India…..

As small as 1x1x1 m size of equipment can be made

10 cm spacing of MP in 1m2 area,

10 day old MP from in vitro growth

Minimized water usage

Minimized nutrient requirement

-Harvest of minitubers every 10-15 days interval-Tuber size maintained between 5-10 gm-8-10 harvests per plant

Module proposed  for  increasing  efficiency of   seed production… 

1. Integration of in vitro methods : MP and MT production2. Efficiency increase of MP production in vitro : Single Node Cutting  

(SNC) + delayed  sub‐culturing3. More efficiency in vitro : SNC + formation of large sized MT which 

would replace the mini‐tuber seed (up to 2 gm)4. Integrating in vitro + in vivo methods :  MP + aeroponic system ‐

Harvesting small & uniform sized seeds.5. Seed Number increase : Multiple harvests (3) in field 6. More alternate in vivo methods : sprouts and stem segments  in 

poly‐house followed by field transfer. 7. Regulating crop timings : summer and winter crops in a year8. Minimizing water usage9. Farmers encouraged for producing their own seed of as early 

generations as possible10.Farmers trained to become part of informal seed production system through 

COSORTIUM for uninterrupted availability of quality potato seed.

Main potato growing seasons in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia

Kenya: the majority of sampled farmers cultivated potato twice a year, during the main rainy seasons. Uganda, the majority of sampled farmers grew potato twice a year, dedicating 24‐32% of their arable land to potato depending on the season and district. In Ethiopia the main potato growing season depended on the zone.

…..I  have seen  in vitro facilities in private houses  and kitchens & bed rooms in Vietnam,  where farmers had recognized  the enormous value  of clean material  and where  they have experimented successfully with its production in their houses…….

Peter   Schmiediche : Former     Senior  Breeder   at  International Potato Center, CIP, Peru. 

Presently,    International  Agricultural  Consultant  andChief  Trainer  at  Wageningen International , The Netherland's, on Potato   Seed   Production, Certification  Systems

Suggested points in reference to African crop growing seasons

1. Kenyan crop season matches with Indian seasonApril – July  matches with off season of Indian hill summer crop Sept – December  matches with Major crop of Indian plains in winters

2. Use Tissue culture facility:‐Propagate year round  in vitro: use of  70 – 80% propagules for MT production , multiply 20‐30%   for next subculture (SNC/DNC),and

1‐2 months before crop season : Liquid culture for large quantity production of microplants (for aeroponics also).

3. Harden microplants and transplant in Poly‐house/field

4. Delay the transplanting by 1 month and harvest at scheduled time for obtaining small sized mini‐tubers

Contd…

Uganda and Ethiopia have three crop seasons 1. Harvest from 1st crop season can be used as seed for 3rd crop 

season2. For the 2nd crop, use of microplant is feasible.

Awareness generation amongst farmers and regular training/monitoring is key to success.   

5. From overmature minitubers, use sprouts  as separate propagules6 If aeroponics available : Harvest microtubers , store them and sprout when needed8. From delayed crop : use 2‐3 node long stem segments as cuttingsfor quick harvest of aerial minitubers/underground minitubers9. Over maturation of tubers to be avoided10. Delay mini tuber germination during storage by *manipulating light intensity and *reducing temperature, if possible.

Acknowledgement s…….

African Potato Association for granting scholarship facilitating participation in this conference

Horticulture Technology Mission for North‐East Himalayas, Mini‐Mission‐1 for financial support

GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology for permitting me to attend this conferencePrinciple Investigator‐Dr. Vandana A. Kumar and all 

co‐workers.

Thanks !!!