The utilization of apical rooted cuttings for the seed production of potato varieties for processing

Abstract

Potato development, especially processing varieties, is constrained by the availability of seeds. Acceleration of seed supply can be done by planting apical rooted cuttings directly in the field to obtain seeds equivalent to extension seeds class. Field activity has been carried out in Brebes Regency, Central Java, in 2021, to study the opportunities for using apical rooted cuttings in the potato seed production. Apical rooted cuttings from seven potato varieties for processing purposes (i.e. AR 08, Spudy, Ventury Agrihorti, Golden Agrihorti, Medians, and Atlantik M) were transplanted in a completely randomized design with 4 replications. Plant growth and tuber production characters were influenced by genotypic factor, indicated by the variation of those characters between varieties. The tuber number per plant ranged from 8.53 (Medians) to 22.80 (Spudy). Meanwhile, the tuber weight per plant was between 215.13 g (Golden Agrihorti) to 702.67 g (Spudy). In this study, Spudy showed the highest growth performance and tuber production compared to the other six varieties. In general, plants grown from apical rooted cuttings produced tuber which is appropriate for seed purposes. It is hoped that the apical rooted cuttings can support the sustainability of potato production, and furthermore, support the domestic potato-based industry.