Sask. company has seed of an idea to revolutionize potato production
Amanda Marcotte | CBC News | Posted: October 20, 2014 12:00 PM | Last Updated: October 20, 2014
Small packet of seeds could replace 3 tonnes of potatoes
A Saskatchewan company has more than a seed of an idea to radically change potato production.
The secret is in a small fruit that grows on some potato plants. Inside the fruit are many tiny seeds, called true potato seeds, that can grow potatoes.
"Most people are familiar with planting potatoes with a potato. They never thought to look for the small fruits that can be on plants," says Tuberosum Technologies Inc. president Joel VanderSchaaf.
If successful, VanderSchaaf says producers will be able to use a 100 gram packet of seeds, where they would have had to use three tonnes of potatoes to plant a hectare of crop.
Saving three tonnes worth of room, could save potato farmers a lot of money in storage and transportation costs, says VanderSchaaf. Also, potatoes used for seeding are perishable, whereas the tiny potato seed can be stored for years, and shipped overseas at hardly any cost.
The amount of seed produced by each plant is also a plus, according to VanderSchaaf. One potato plant usually produces about 10 potatoes, while one potato plant can produce 5,000 seeds.
Sask. 'horrible' place to grow potatoes
VanderSchaaf says the company picked Broderick, Sask. to breed the potatoes for a reason.
"[Saskatchewan] is a very horrible place to grow potatoes in some degrees, because it's got a short season and it's got long days which are stressers for potatoes."
But that means Saskatchewan is a plant breeders dream. VanderSchaaf says if the potatoes can survive such tough conditions, the seeds can thrive anywhere.
Mother Nature did throw the breeders a curveball. Potatoes are usually bred using a cloning process. But with seeds, each is genetically distinct. It's good for disease resistance, but not good for uniformity. Still, VanderSchaaf says they have developed a few lines of seed that could be used commercially.
Now, the biggest stumbling block is that there is no way to register the seeds, because the product is too new.
As such, VanderSchaaf says it's hard to say when the seeds will hit the market, but when they do, he says it could revolutionize the way farmers feed a hungry world.