Comparison of hydroponic culture and culture in a peat/sand mixture and the influence of nutrient solution and plant density on seed potato yields

Two culture systems for propagating first generation potatoes were compared; the traditional system used a peat/sand mixture with mineral fertilizer, and hydroponic culture used perlite and nutrient solution. Total production and the number of tubers obtained using the hydroponic system were significantly higher than using the traditional culture system. Tuber yields from in vitro plants and minitubers depended upon time of year. During the autumn/winter cycle yield from minitubers was double that from in vitro plants, whereas the reverse was true during the spring/summer cycle. Four hydroponic test cultures were carried out to study the influence of seed density. The number of tubers obtained increased significantly with seed density but there was no decrease in the number of large-diameter tubers.