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Old April 25, 2011   #8
David Marek
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: St Charles, IL zone 5a
Posts: 142
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Indyartist View Post
My question on yeild is in part due to this publication by Purdue University, an agricultural college about 1 hours drive from me here in Indiana. In this article it says that yield from growing from seeds (TPS) is lower, "Yield is typically low compared to cultivars started from
tuber seed pieces, making true seed cultivars mainly of
interest for container culture rather than high production."
So, if that is the case then where do pulled sprouts lay in the yield range in the different methods of propagating potatoes?

Here is the link to the Purdue potato planting guide:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-62W.pdf
Quote:
Originally Posted by Medbury Gardens View Post
I cant see it making a lot of difference really,the seed potato's role is to enable it survives the winter and regrows in spring,once the pulled sprout has developed roots and is growing on its own,is it not then independent of the tuber.
I agree, by the time you get to the point of using single- eye pieces of seed tuber, there is not that much of an energy store, anyway. If the sprout is from a high yielding clone/ variety, production should still be good. I would actually be more comfortable about sticking an already growing plant in the ground, but the labor of growing a bunch would add up. Still treat the transplants like a regular potato plant once they are in the ground. That is, hill up the dirt around the stem as it grows, or keep adding mulch, whichever method you prefer. From my experience last year, never let potato transplants become potbound.

The commercial seed variety Zolushka F1 outpaced my other TPS- grown plants last year (that's what it was bred to do), but I can tell some of the other varieties have some real potential for this season. The awesome variety of TPS we are dealing with here from Tom can hardly be compared to the few commercial varieties available in the U.S.

So far the stems on my plants from cuttings are much more sturdy and thick than the thin, floppy TPS seedlings, so they should be easier to deal with. I am wondering how the timing will translate, though, compared to planting tubers.
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