MANUAL FOR

POTATO CLEAN SEED PRODUCTION

Good quality seed tuber is perquisite for higher potato production. Seed alone
accounts for 50% of the total cost of potato cultivation. The combined use of
quality seed and improved agronomic practices can therefore increase existing yield
levels enormously.
Good quality seed can be produced in areasi)
ii)

the soils are free from common scab, black scruf and brown rot (bacterial
wilt) and nematodes.
a period of at least 80-90 days in plains and 120days in highlands of aphid
free or aphid population below thresh hold level environment is available
for crop to grow.

Field practices
* Land selection: Well irrigated medium land with sandy loam soil type are best suited
for seed production. Seed of one variety should be multiplied in one field. A gap of 5m
or 15feet should be maintained around the seed plot. Other crop may be planted in the
gap
* Land preparation: Land should be leveled and prepared in early November where
the seed crop is to be planted. It is imperative that field should be ploughed during
summer months, and soil be kept open for some time to reduce incidence of soil borne
diseases and also control perennial weeds. During first ploughing apply FYM @
3500kg/ha. Apply granular insecticide in the field and mix with the soil.
* Fertilizer application: Follow fertilizer dose 250kg N, 150kg P205 and 150kg K20.
Apply N full P and 3/4th Potash as basal dose. Add another N and 25% of the
during the earthing up. Fertilizer should apply in furrows not by broadcasting.
* Seed source: Seed source may be tissue cultured derived minitubers/ breeder
seed/foundation seed free from diseases.
* Seed size and seed rate : 20-30g seed tuber with multiple sprouts should be used as
planting material. Optimum seed rate should be 2.0t/ha. to get a good crop.
* Planting time: Night temperature around 22oC is the optimum period for Potato
planting. Early November to Mid-November is suitable period for West Bengal.

* Planting of Potato: Take out seed tuber from cold storage 10-12 days before planting.
Spread the tuber in shade to get uniform germination. Separate out rotten and blunt-eye
potato. Plant potato with two-three viable eyes. The distance between two rows should
be kept 20 cm and plant to plant 15 cm. Adequate soil should be added to ridge to cover
the seed tuber.
* Irrigation: Sprinkled (Jhapta) water every 3-4 days interval from sowing to first
earthing up. Apply flood irrigation in furrows at 7-8 days interval. Take care so water do
not cross half of the ridge. The frequency of watering may differ depending on soil
moisture status. Potato plant should not be suffered from any moisture stress during crop
growth. Watering should be stopped before 10 days of harvest.
* Intercultural Operations: Weeds are a serious problem in potato crop planted with
out pre-sowing irrigation. Pre-sowing irrigation not only useful for uniform germination
of the crop, but also helps to control the weeds to a large extent. A majority of weed
species starts germinating in the field with pre-sowing irrigation and is latter killed
automatically by when field is ploughed to prepare for planting.
When the potato plant is 20-25 days old, the ridges and furrows are opened manually or
with a plough, and the remaining half of the Nitrogen in the form of urea is applied in
the furrows. The ridges are thereafter earthed up. Delay in earthing up may damage
stolons, eventually resulting in yield reduction.
* Monitoring and Roughing : Regular monitoring diseases, insect and off types are
essential for quality seed production. At least three inspections are needed to remove off
types and diseased plants showing symptoms of mottling, mosaics and leaf-roll.
a) the first roughing has to be done after emergence and before earthling up.
b) the second roughing should be preformed after 40-45 days after sowing and
c) the third roughing are to be performed just before dehaulming the crop .
While removing the diseased plants, proper precautions should be taken to avoid the
possible transmission of diseases to healthy plants.
* Plant protection: Application of granular systemic insecticide, Furadon 5G or
Phorate 10G @ 10kg/ha at the time of planting is extremely useful to control Jassids,
White flies and leaf hoppers checking the spread of victor transmitted viruses.
Insecticides remain effective for 40-45 days from day of application.
Two to three sprays of Demicron/ Nuvacron/Metasystox@ 1.0 litre/ha should be applied
at intervals of 10-12 day depending on appearance and population density of aphids.

For Potato late blight (LB) one prophylactic spray of Diathane M-45 @ 2kg/ha
(Mancozeb @ 0.2%) should be done on both susceptible and resistant varieties.
Dithane M-45 should be repeated at an interval of 8-12days depending upon weather
conditions.
In case the spread of leaf blight is not checked by Diathane M-45, Ridomil (metalaxy)
@ 4kg/ha is sprayed on the crop at an interval of 10-15days.
* Dehaulming: The seed crop should be dehaulmed before the aphid population crosses
the critical level (20 aphids/100 compound leaves). Haulms may be pulled by hand or cut
with a sickle as close to the ground as possible. Vines should be kept on the ridges top
protect potatoes from high temperature and direct sun light. Re-growth of stems should
be checked in order to control vector transmitted viruses.
* Harvesting: Harvesting of a crop is recommended after 10-12days of dehaulming
when tuber skin is hard enough to bear handling operations. The crop may be harvested
manually with a spade or a bullock driven plough/digger or tractor. At harvest time, the
soil moisture in the field should be optimum to avoid damage to tubers.
The harvested potato should be kept in heaps for 5-7 days for skin curing., avoid
bruising of tubers during harvesting and transporting from the field.
* Grading: After curing in heaps, the seed tubers are graded to get better returns in the
market. Seed potatoes are graded in four grades viz.
a. Small size below 25g (<25mm).
b. Medium 25-60g (25-35mm)
c. Large
60-100g (35-50mm)
d. Extra large above 100g (>50mm)
* Seed treatment: To control surface borne diseases like common scab and black scruf
(Rhizoctonia), the graded tubers may be cleaned with water and should be sprayed with
5% solution of boric acid. The treated tubers should be dried in the shade . Pack it in
leno bags. Seed should reach cold stores timely or else the rising ambient temperature
may adversely affect tubers.
Important diseases associated with seed production.
Bacterial wilt ( Ralstonia Solanacearum) : This is a bacterial disease. The bacteria enter
the plant through roots. Inside plant they multiply and eventually kill the plant. Plants
that are not heavily infected can still produce tubers. These tubers contain the
bacteria and carry the disease to the next season. The bacteria also survive in the
soil.
Symptom: Plants infected with bacterial wilt can easily be identified in the field. As a
result of bacteria multiplying in the vascular system of the plant the flow of water from

the roots to the above ground plant becomes blocked. The sprouts wilts due to a lack of
moisture. This occurs despite the fact that there is no water stress visible in other
plants, and the soil is actually moist. If plants are infected in the later stages of
development, when tubers are developing, the bacteria will get into the tubers and
survive there. This will give following wilt symptom in the tuber.
1. Oozing eyes
2. Soil sticking to the eyes
3. Vascular brown ring and Ooze come out from the vascular ring.
4. Rotting of Tuber.
Symptomless infection: (Latent infection) :
Tubers infected with low number of bacteria, not showing any disease symptoms will
look like absolutely healthy. But once it is planted, the plant will develop wilt and die.
Control :
1.Strict roughing When a first symptom of disease appear a plant has to be removed
with its all tubers and some soil from the plant hole. Put some ash and lime in the
hole. Remove infected plant and soil and burn it.
2.Crop rotation:- Through crop rotation the bacteria causing the disease will have
nothing to survive on and will die due to lack of food. During rotation period no crops
like tomato, tobacco, Brinjal, capsicum or other Solanaceous crops can be grown.
3. Avoid run-off from infected fields.
4.Wash tools and shoes with water or bleaching powdwer.
Viruses : Seed generation caused by viruses is much less visible than bacterial wilt, but
much more widespread. Once a potato plant becomes infected with a virus , there is no
cure. All its tuber carry virus. Virus do not kill the plants, but make the plants sick. Over
the seasons the symptoms worsen as more and more infected. This quickly results in
poor yields.
Controll:
Potato viruses transmitted by Aphids who feed on the sap from the potato plants. Also
some other sucking insects like white flies and Thrips can transmit viruses as well as
nematode and mites.

1. Vector control :
Sprays:
Application of granular systemic insecticides, Furadon 5G or Phorate 10G 2 10kg/ha at
the time of planting is extremely useful to control Jassids, whiteflies , and leafhoppers.
Two-three spray of Demicron /Nuvacron /Metasystoc @ 1.0litre/ha should be given 1012 days intervals depending on appearance of Aphids.
Dehaulmning : The seed crop should be dehaulmed before the aphid population crooses
the critical level (20 aphids/100 compound leaves)
Use of healthy seed : Regular renewal of healthy seed potatoes reduce virus effect
Roughing : Remove plants with virus symptoms.
Minimize mechanical damage: Avoid tuber damage.
Fugus:
Late Blight- disease on potatoes is caused by fungus (Phytophthora infestans). If late
blight is controlled a whole potato crop can be lost. Late blight is rarely affecting tubers.
Plants with some late blight symptoms can safely be selected as mother plants for
seed.
Symptom: The symptoms of late blight are irregularly to round shaped lesion . They
may be surrounded by a small band of still green or yellow tissue, that is clearly
infected. Lesions are usually not delimited by the vein . Late blight can also cause
lesions on the stems of the plant.
Late blight is transmitted in the form of spores which are formed on the edge of the
lesions. They are transmitted over large distances by wind . From one spore landing in a
potato field the whole fields can become infected quickly if the weather is right. Late
blight growth is fastest under humid and cool (5-20oC) conditions.
Control:
1. Varietal resistance : use tolerant potato variety like Kufri Jyoti.
2. Fungicides a.) Contact fungicide like Mancozeb (Dithane M-45) brand name is
most commonly known. It protect the leaves against the entry of the fungus into the
plant. b) sustemic fungicides like Metalaxyl protect the plant from inside.