True Potato Seeds: A Sustainable Alternative for Farmers in Warmer Climates

Most potatoes grown in Europe are clones produced from certified seed potatoes. However, for farmers in regions with warmer climates, this is not always a viable option, as they often resort to using low-quality seed potatoes, frequently carrying disease.

Moreover, as Romanian farmers have experienced this autumn, extreme heat combined with drought can cause crop failures.

Fortunately, there are solutions, some of which are analyzed by agronomy expert Jan Egwerda of the University of Halle, in his recent paper “True potato seed to benefit farmers in warmer climates”, published in Future Farming.

Bulky and Perishable Tubers

It all starts with healthy seed potatoes to avoid disease transmission from infected planting material, which can devastate crops. Unfortunately, for some farmers, certified stock is only available through costly imports.

Tuber seed potatoes are bulky and perishable, which significantly raises transportation and delivery costs, making them either unaffordable or inaccessible. As a result, many growers must rely solely on tubers they have grown themselves.

Usually, the best potatoes are sold, leaving lower-quality tubers to be used as seed. For these farmers, true, disease-free potato seeds can be a healthier and more easily transportable alternative.

One useful example examined in Egwerda’s study is that of Dutch grower Bejo Zaden, who developed the Oliver F1 hybrid—a potato variety that can be grown directly from seed to produce market-ready potatoes in a single season.

This innovation is the result of 15 years of research and development, focused on reducing yield variability. The resulting potatoes are tetraploid, meaning they carry four copies of DNA, which leads to offspring with greater genetic diversity.

By contrast, seed tubers are clones, genetically identical to the parent plant. Potatoes grown from true seed lack the uniformity needed to meet strict European quality standards, but the Oliver F1 clones meet all requirements.

The Oliver F1 variety has been tested in both Dutch farms and southern regions. Young plants are first grown in greenhouses, then transplanted to fields. It takes 5 to 10 days for them to take root.

Once rooted, the plants develop quickly and the true seed potatoes grow rapidly. However, the yield is still lower than the European average, producing about 45–55 tons per hectare.

The success of this variety has spurred the development of other genotypes. Research is also underway to determine whether seed germination can be accelerated through priming (pre-germination techniques).

Could Seeds Replace Tubers?

As mentioned, true potato seeds are not yet ideal for large-scale European farms. Europe's cooler climate is a limiting factor, as seed potatoes struggle to germinate outdoors due to low soil temperatures.

Therefore, seeds must first be sown in greenhouses before transplanting, which involves considerable manual labor and increases costs. Still, as demonstrated, it is feasible.

While developing Oliver F1, Bejo applied the same methodology used for vegetable seed breeding, namely the creation of homozygous parental lines.

These homozygous lines, produced through inbreeding, exhibit high genetic uniformity. When crossed, they generate uniform hybrid seeds (F1) that outperform the parent lines due to heterosis. This method, developed over decades, successfully led to a tetraploid potato variety.

Dr. Horst Van Bruchem explains: “True potato seeds were developed using a process similar to tomato breeding. Growth from true seeds progresses much faster than the traditional method using seed tubers.”

This gives farmers a key advantage—once a successful cross is identified, seed production can begin rapidly.

In contrast, clonal seed potato varieties must be propagated for several years before a viable commercial seed lot can be tested and introduced to the market.

With patience, true potato seeds may also become a viable solution for European farmers, including those in Romania. It requires significant time and care.

One thing is clear: potato farmers need high-quality planting material to achieve high-yield crops, and this is harder to ensure with seed tubers than with true seeds.

True Potato Seeds – Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Much more resistant to disease than traditional seed potatoes;
• Seeds can be supplied year-round, enabling farmers to start planting at any time, unlike seasonal seed tuber availability;
• True seeds are easier to store and transport. To plant 1 hectare, you need either 2.5 tons of seed potatoes or only 60 grams of true seeds;
• Faster market introduction of crops, offering earlier benefits to farmers.

Cons:

• Lower uniformity due to genetic variability;
• Requires higher temperatures for germination, so greenhouses are necessary in colder European climates;
• Longer growing season.

(Photo: Freepik)