Potato minituber production under Hydroponic Sand Culture

Inadequate supply of good quality seed tubers is a major constraint in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) economic production in developing countries. Tissue culture in conjunction with hydroponics is the main technology has been applied to rapidly multiply potato pre-basic seed tubers (mini-tubers). Isolation and use of sterile growing media are two important factors in production of healthy potato mini-tubers. Select of best growing medium for mini-tuber production depends on many variables including price, availability, phytosanitary and etc. Organic growing media, may harbor some pathogenic agents, are expensive and need to be replaced periodically. A relatively low cost method for potato mini-tuber production was devised by sand as growing medium. Sand provides an inert nature medium with more pore volume (more oxygen transport), stable structure, less water retention and large volume of accessible water to the plants. In developed hydroponic sand culture, phosphorus concentration was doubled for 10 days to induce tuber formation. Higher phosphorus concentration increased the level of endogenous ABA and IAA, induced tuberization and thereby increased net photosynthesis rate.