Seed Production, Nutritional Innovations & Germplasm Conservation

Cultivable land scarcity is a major limitation for horizontal increase of food production for the future food security of the world. Potato is the most energy efficient crop in terms of yield and nutritional values that can contribute vertical increase in food production for insuring food security in the world. Keeping this notion in mind the present research work was undertaken with a view to improve potato in both quantitative and qualitative attributes. In the present study the following research issues were addressed: i) improvement of tissue culture technology for the production of high quality seed potato; (ii) development of nutritionally enriched potato cultivars through selective biochemical property profiling; iii) improvement of pro-vitamin A and iron (Fe) content in selected potato cultivar through the induction and evaluation of somaclonal variation and iv) the improvement of the in vitro conservation method for potato germplasm conservation.