AEROPONIC SEED POTATO PRODUCTION: A PROMISING AND SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY FOR SEED POTATO PRODUCTION IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Potato is an important food and cash crop globally and faces many challenges in Pakistan. These challenges include issues with soil fertility, pest and disease pressure and shortages of high-quality seed potatoes. The scarcity of high-quality seeds is a massive hassle in Pakistan. Farmers in Pakistan, often reuse their seeds or obtain them from informal sources. This practice leads to increased seed quality deterioration and tuber-borne diseases, resulting in decreased yields. To address this situation, aeroponic techniques can effectively meet this challenge. Aeroponics is a novel technique for producing high-quality seed potato, aiming to address the challenge of seed production. Aeroponic techniques are commercially practised in many countries. Thus, in this review, we have highlighted the importance of aeroponic technology and how this technique can help uplift/boost up the seed potato production system in Pakistan. The overview concludes that aeroponic seed production offers numerous benefits, including improved yields, and resistance, even as keeping natural resources. Despite the challenges, the evaluation indicates that the implementation of aeroponic seed production technology in Pakistan may offers a promising and sustainable technique for seed potato production in Pakistan.