True Potato Seed   

Potato seed as is used in common parlance refers to the modified vegetative stem, which is its storage organ but is also used for propagation.  However, potato also produces fruits and seeds as in the case of other solanaceous crops such as tomato, brinjal, chilli, capsicum etc. This seed was not normally used for raising a crop due to it being more delicate than other similar seeds.  Therefore, except for breeding purposes where special care was taken to raise the seedlings, the true seed of potato was not used.  However, as the cost of cultivation increased and profit margins decreased, research to use TPS for raising a crop was intensified.  This was because use of TPS has several advantages. Exploitation of the advantages is expected to make potato cultivation profitable and help extend its cultivation to other areas.  However, use of TPS also has many constraints, which have to be overcome before a crop can be successfully raised from TPS.  Most importantly, the agronomic practices for the utilsation of TPS has to be standardised.  Presently its use either for transplanting or for producing seedling tubers, which in turn can be used as seed has been advocated.  Many TPS families possesing favourable traits has been recommended for cultivation.  Success of TPS technology is expected to boost potato production in the country.