Unintended sprouts as additional resource for pathogen-free seed potato (Solanum tuberosum) propagation

Abstract

Unintended sprouting of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum) occurs within the professional production chain during transportation or storage due to the break of dormancy by changing environmental conditions. The sprouting of high-quality seed potatoes, for example, results in huge amounts of sprouts which complicate the planting process and are, therefore, manually removed and discarded. However, such sprouts can be very useful and sustainable when used as propagation material, helping to avoid losses of seed potatoes and increasing productivity per individual seed potato tuber.