Potential and Advantages of TPS Technology

TPS has an edge over tuber seed for various attributes of potato production .Thus, it can effectively overcome some of the problems associated with seed tubers and can be used easily by the resource poor farmers to produce healthy planting material in any quantity as and when required. It offers many advantages to the farmers to overcome weaknesses of clonally propagated tuber seeds.

Source of healthy planting material: Except potato virus T (PVT) and potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) no other major pathogen is transmitted through TPS as they are filtered out during pollination and fertilization.

Saving seed tubers for consumption: Nearly 18% of the total tuber produce retained as seed can be used for consumption.

Low cost of cultivation: Cost of planting material produced through TPS is approximately one-tenth of the cost of quality seed tubers.

Easy storage: TPS with 3-5% seed moisture can be stored for many years under ambient conditions in dark with practically no loss in germinability atleast up to 5 years.

Easy and inexpensive transportation: Only 100g of TPS can replace 2-3 tonnes of seed tubers required for planting one-hectare land.

Potato cultivation in non-traditional areas: TPS can be used for potato cultivation in areas deemed unfit for producing quality seed tuber due to unfavourable agro-climate.

Fitness of potato in different cropping systems: TPS can be used to fit potato in different cropping systems when tuber seed of correct physiological age is not available as and when required for planting the crop.

Environment/user friendly: The pathogens unlike in clonally propagated crop are unable to affect the TPS crop due to in-built resistance (multi-line effect) for diseases/pests. Consequently, less amount of pesticides is needed for spraying TPS crop. Thus TPS is not only cost effective but also environment friendly.