Apr 20, 2020World Potato Congress webinar to examine apical seed cuttings
The next World Potato Congress webinar, “Diversified Use of Apical Cuttings to Boost Potato Seed Systems,” is set for 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday, May 5.
Addressing seed shortages for potatoes is a perennial challenge in many potato-producing countries. Potato seed systems rely on several successive generations of bulking seed tubers to produce commercial seed, with multiplication ratios averaging 1:10-15 for each generation, compared to 1:200 for true seed crops.
As a consequence of these low multiplication ratios, three to four successive seasons in the field are required to produce commercial seed that is economically viable for the seed producer to sell and the farmer purchasing seed.
Critical to seed potato production is the starter material used for onward multiplication. Traditionally, minitubers produced from tissue culture plants using soil-, hydroponic- or aeroponic-based systems in a screenhouse serve as starter material for onward bulking in the field. Apical cuttings are an alternative to minitubers as starter material for seed production
The webinar will feature International Potato Center’s Monica Parker, who is the principal investigator for the Potato for Africa Program in Nairobi, Kenya.
With a career spanning 15 years in agriculture, primarily in Africa, Parker specializes in agricultural development through research and development, and delivering science. Bringing a multi-disciplinary approach, her work encompasses technical and project leadership, strengthening partnerships and program growth. Her scientific studies on seed systems, quality assurance, good agricultural practices and scaling technologies inform her work.
Register in advance here.
Since the beginning of 2019, the World Potato Congress has hosted nine webinars. The archive can be found here.
