Production of Seedling Tubers Derived from True Potato Seed and Their Use as Seed Tubers in the Sudan

Abstract

SUMMARYSeedling tubers of three true potato seed (TPS) crosses raised in a seedbed soil mixture of clay, sand and dry leaves produced about 3.1 kg of seedling tubers m−2 in the growing season of 1988–89 and between 4.3 and 5.1 kg m−2 in 1989/90. The seedling tubers produced were stored and their use as seed tubers was subsequently compared with the locally popular variety Alpha. The mean tuber yields of the hybrids ranged between 9.4 and 11 t ha−1 in 1990/91 and between 21.9 and 22.9 t ha−1 in 1991/92. Mean tuber yields of cultivar Alpha were 14.3 t ha−1 in 1990/91 and 24.1 t ha−1 in 1991/92, showing that tuber yields comparable to those of imported seed tubers could be obtained from seedling tubers of TPS origin.