|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
Potatoes From True Seed
| Article
# : |
12664 |
|
|
Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
|
| Issue
Date : |
6 / 1987 |
2,546 Words |
| Author
: |
Michael Woods and Mark Martin
Michael Woods is a contributing editor of THE WORLD & I. He is
a Washington, D.C., writer who specializes in science and
health and is the recipient of numerous national science-
writing awards.
Mark Martin is a U.S. Department of Agriculture agricultural
research scientist working at the Washington State University
Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in
Prosser, Washington. |
Oh, Creator! Thou who givest life to all things and hast made men that they may live and multiply. Multiply also the fruits of the earth, the potatoes and other food that thou hast made, that men may not suffer from hunger and misery.
- Inca Indian Prayer
Scientific emphasis on new ways of growing the humble potato has brought that ancient plea closer to reality than ever before.
An emerging technology promises to greatly enhance the usefulness of potatoes as a more practical and abundant source of food for subsistence farmers and other hungry people throughout the world. With 730 million people unable to obtain enough calories to lead a fully productive life, the potato could make a major contribution to improving world health and productivity.
Contrary to popular belief, the potato is more than simply a source of "empty" calories or the raw material for an occasional bag of potato chips or package or fast-food French fries. It is a potentially critical foodstuff for the world's poor and malnourished. One of the few staple foods upon which mankind depends, the potato is grown in 130 different countries. It is a nutritional food that is high in vitamin C and contains much-needed B vitamins, iron, and protein. Indeed, if severely malnourished children are fed a potato-based diet supplemented with vitamins, inexpensive milk protein, and vegetable oil, they quickly resume normal growth and begin to thrive.
Yet the potato has a flaw that sharply limits its potential for contributing to the food supply in developing countries. There has been no convenient and effective way to propagate good-quality tubers because of the potato's vulnerability to disease and its unusual genetic variability.
The traditional and most effective way of raising potatoes has been to grow new plants from cut-up pieces of tuber obtained at high cost from suppliers who grow seed tubers under exacting conditions. By this procedure, 2,000 pounds of cut tubers are required to plant a single acre of ground. Most farmers in developing countries have no means to buy seed tubers or handle their large, vulnerable bulk.
Imagine another possibility. Imagine planting an acre of land with less than 2 ounces of seed - what botanists term "true potato seed," or TPS. Smaller than sesame
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
