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Post by templeton on May 19, 2012 23:00:57 GMT -5
I grew out some TPS seedlings which are now senescing, so I've harvested some small tubers, mostly around pea size. How do I store them until spring? (I've done some cursory searches, but can't find anything) T
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Post by tatermater on May 20, 2012 2:39:16 GMT -5
I don't know how much you searched the internet for info but I am surprised you did not find my forum. I have had private research in producing tubers from TPS..true potato seed....for nearly six decades. But I really do need to find the time or organizational skills to put a book together on TPS. I dug many potatoes today near Mt. Vernon, Washington...hand digging most of the day...and I had both the previous years tubers and in some cases...the pea size to golf ball sized tubers on some of the early lines. It takes a few months to break dormancy for replant...but anything over four to six months storage is rather difficult to store without severe shriveling or moisture depleting sprout formation. If you have senescence in TPS seedlings and have only pea sized tubers...they must have been grown in tiny pots or were transplanted to the field at too mature of age. Many times when I have pea sized tubers...the timing is way off for a good spring replanting. Even then...it is best to place the tiny tubers in the 72 cull pack trays to grow out the best seedling vigor selections...and upon several inches high...transplant to the field or larger pots indoors. To illustrate the surprising versatility of TPS seedling tubers....I can store and replant later tubers as small as 1/8 of an inch in diameter. A bit of greening or (chitting) in a bit of light allows the tubers to store better and develop the conditions for compact sprouts after a dormancy period relative to the varietal information expressed by the pedigree. Speaking of pea size potatoes...see photo below...these were grown from seedlings sown in early Sept and harvest in December in a cool greenhouse....barely kept above freezing during November and December. The tubers were "planted" in April in 72 cell packs and transplanted to the field weeks later. Tom Wagner The photo shows tubers stored in the dark on the left and on the right...tubers stored with indirect light. The tubers showing the least amount of greening are selected for candidates for greening resistance. A further benefit of starting potato varieties/clones from these tiny tubers is that the longer the tiny tubers remain viable ...the better the keeping qualities later as fully developed tubers. I currently have hundreds of seedling varieties grown in 72 to 24 cell packs from last year still in my garage...and still in the original growing media. They are stressing to stay alive in the dark in the dried out soil and many of those tubers are pea sized. I will place these trays out in the sun shortly and commence the watering to grow the plants up a bit and then transplant to the field. Some of these tiny tubers are nearly 12 months old!
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Post by templeton on May 20, 2012 6:25:57 GMT -5
Thanks, Tom. I only did a few searches - and just ran out of sunday morning energy. My tubers are small because I tried to get a generation of tubers from seeds from my (southern hemisphere) February fruits. I was really surprised that I actually managed to grow anything! They've been pot grown in my greenhouse for 2 and a half months. I thought there might have been some secret formula for storing them. Will chit them, then store them in my ~ 10C cellar. Can probably start them again in early August. Thanks for the pointers re selection. T
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