b'TRUE POTATO SEEDSCOULD FEED THE WORLDWhile the future of true potato seeds is still in the distance, experts say they could have major implications. Alex MartinWHEN IT COMES TOnew innovations in the potato sector, true potato seeds comes to mind. The small seeds are newer to growers, and while their future might be further off, they could have giant implications. Commercial potato growers should be familiar with produc-tion using seed tubers, which are actually a form of vegetative production of plants, says Helen Tai, a potato genetics and genomics research scientist with Agriculture and Agri Food Canada. The tuber and the plants derived from the tuber are genetically identical.This form of production is called clonal propagation, but the important part to note? That plant also produces flowers, which when pollinated, produce fruit called seed balls. Inside these seed balls are hundreds of small seeds that can be sown into the ground to grow another plant, she says. This is how a potato propagates itself. Those seeds within the seed balls are where true potato seed comes from and is just another reproductive strategy forHelen Tai of Agriculture andCharles Miller of Solynta.potato plants. Tai says this isnt a new innovation, as people inAgri Food Canada.the Andes in South America have grown potato from both true potato seed and tubers for thousands of years. Its almost like whats old is new again, she says.But the big key is how true potato seeds could impact global food production for the better.True potato seeds can really have a big impact on the global food supply and quality, says Charles Miller, commercial director of Solynta. The most obvious and biggest place they can have an impact is in logistics and scaling.Twenty-five grams of true potato seed can replace two and a half tons of seed tubers, which are needed to plant one hectare of potatoes, according to Miller. That could reduce transportation and storage, and that reduction could have a bigger impact on reducing the carbon footprint on the planet. 32/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2022'