A method to use very small size potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers as seed

Potato, being a vegetatively propagated crop, tubers of 30-60 g size is used as seed. Whereas, < 20 g size potato tubers are left in the soil itself after harvesting, as they are not suitable either for consumption or seed purpose. Seed pelleting technique is used to increase the tuber size and provide additional nutrient support. Two cultivars of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) with five different treatments using left over under sized tubers (having radius of around 3.98 to 5.57 mm) were used for this experiment. During storage, weight loss was minimum in Acacia treatment (8.33%) and sprouting was not affected by Acacia and salicylic acid treatments. At the end of storage, phenol was high in Acacia treated tubers. These tubers were planted in the field. The time taken for 50% germination was similar in control (22.33 days), Acacia (22.33 days) and salicylic acid (22.67 days) treatments. Varietal differences were observed with the type of chemical used for pelleting. In general the yield obtained with Acacia leaf powder pelleting was more in both the cultivars.   Key words: Seed potato, pelleting, Acacia nilotica and sprout.