In the lead-up to the 2021 World Potato Congress (WPC), the organizers have scheduled a series of webinars on current potato science, production and market trends, hosted by WPC director and University of Idaho professor Dr. Nora Olsen.

On May 5, at 9 am Eastern Standard Time, Dr. Monica L. Parker, a Senior Scientist with the International Potato Center based in Nairobi, Kenya, will present a webinar on Diversified use of apical cuttings to boost potato seed systems.

Seed shortages are a perennial challenge in many potato-producing countries, in part because the multiplication ratio for seed potatoes is so low compared to other crops. A potato plant produces an average of 10-15 tubers, so it takes a seed multiplier three to four seasons to produce an economically viable crop of commercial seed to sell to farmers. The use of rooted apical cuttings as starter material can significantly accelerate this process. It begins by taking cuttings from the shoots of tissue culture plantlets and letting them grow in a screenhouse. Apical cuttings are subsequently taken from those plantlets, resulting in more than 15 mother plants, from which further cuttings are taken, so that one tissue culture plantlet can end up producing more than 100 rooted cuttings. When those cuttings are planted in the field, they each produce 10-20 elite seed potatoes, which can be multiplied over two seasons to produce 1,000—4,000 seed potatoes for sale. This technology can speed up the dissemination of improved varieties, enable more farmers to enjoy the benefits of planting quality seed, and provide income opportunities in the seed value chain.