During last 65 years of its existence, the institute developed need-based technologies that triggered a revolution in potato production on account of very fast growth in area and productivity. A few breakthrough technologies and major achievements of CPRI that helped in sustainable growth of the potato crop in India are listed below.
Crop Improvement
• Partnered with 26 international institutes belonging to 14 countries in deciphering the complex potato genome.
• Developed and released 50 potato varieties with different traits viz. late blight resistance, heat tolerance, processing quality (6 varieties), multiple resistances to diseases and increased yield.
• Developed & registered 17 improved breeding lines as elite genetic stocks having earliness, resistance to pest & disease and frost tolerance.
• Developed two interspecific somatic hybrids of potato Solanumtuberosum dihaploid C-13 ( + ) S. etuberosum, and C-13 (+) S. pinnatisectum resistant to Potato Virus Y and late blight through protoplast fusion to overcome the sexual barriers.
• A parental line having extreme resistance gene to PVY (Ryadg) in triplex state and two advanced hybrids (LBY-15 & LBY-17) having combined resistance to late blight and Potato Virus Y were developed through marker assisted breeding.
Multiple disease resistant varieties
Potato productivity in the developed world has almost stagnated during the last two decades largely due to yield losses by biotic and abiotic stresses. Future productivity threats posed by impending climate change and global warming are looming large on developing countries including India. Potato cultivars having multiple disease resistance are urgently required not only to maintain the existing potato yield levels but also to boost it further in order to bridge the gap between the potential and actual yield levels. Among biotic stresses, late blight, viruses and nematodes are the most devastating ones. Resistance genes for late blight, most of the potato viruses and potato cyst nematode have been mapped and tightly linked molecular markers are available to perform marker-assisted selection (MAS). Therefore the institute has clear roadmap for developing potato varieties with multiple disease resistant exploiting parents having different resistant genes through MAS.
- Developed transgenic potatoes with important agronomic traits viz., late blight durable resistance, reduction of cold induced sweetening, high protein content, resistance to Potato Virus Y, Potato Apical Leaf Curl Virus, Potato Tuber Moth, and altered plant architecture.
- Fourteen genes/promoters coding for important traits like tolerance to potato tuber moth, late blight, potato leaf roll virus, potato stem necrosis virus, starch quantity, reduction of cold-induced sweetening etc. were cloned for use in genetic transformation studies without any IPR obligation.
- Identified potato genotypes having multiple resistance genes for Late Blight (R1&R3), Potato Virus Y (Ryadg) & Cyst Nematodes (HC, H1&Gro1) using molecular markers.
Plant Protection
- Developed late blight forecasting models for hills and plains.
- Developed and standardised virus detection and diagnostic techniques including dipstick assay for all important viruses.
- Replaced hazardous organomercurials chemical with the safe boric acid (3%) in seed treatment to check soil and tuber borne diseases particularly black scurf and common scab.
- Developed IPM for management of all important diseases and pests.
IT, GIS and Remote Sensing
- Developed potato crop growth model “INFOCROP-POTATO” to enable estimation of yield gaps and develop best management practices (BMPs).
Late blight forecasting
The institute developed JHULSACAST- a computerized late blight forecasting model for Uttar Pradesh. It predicts late blight disease 10 days in advance thereby helping the potato growers in protecting their crop by applying fungicides pro-phylactically. This model has also been calibrated for Punjab, Tarai region of Uttarakhand and plains of West Bengal. Based on this model, a Decision Support System (DSS) has been developed for western Uttar Pradesh having three modules viz. i) decision rules for predicting first appearance of the disease ii) decision rules for need-based application of fungicides and, iii) regression models for yield loss assessment.
Recently the Institute has developed INDO-BLIGHTCAST- a web based Pan-India model for forecasting potato late blight as an improvement over JHULSACAST. It predicts late blight appearance using daily mean temperature and RH data available with meteorological stations across the country without any calibration. The model is being operationalized throughout the country in collaboration with IMD.
- Developed a decision support system “Computer Aided Advisory System for Potato Crop Scheduling” (CAASPS) which helps to decide the time of planting/harvesting considering the expected yields of different varieties planted in different times in most of the potato growing regions of the country.
- A methodology for estimation of potato acreage and production in the northern Indo-Gangetic plains using crop modelling, remote sensing and GIS has been developed in collaboration with Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad.
Seed Technology
- Development of Seed Plot Technique which enabled seed potato production in sub-tropical plains.
- Annual production of about 30000 q breeder seed of about 25 commercial varieties to facilitate supply of quality potato planting material in the country.
- Developed aeroponic technique for production of healthy seed potato.
Crop Production
- Developed resource management strategies for major potato based cropping systems involving sequential and intercropping systems in different parts of the country to sustain the productivity of potato crop.
- Developed nutrient use efficient (NPK and water) potato variety Kufri Gaurav.
- Standardised fertigation system for potato which economises on water by 40-50% and fertilizer N, P and K by 25-30% in comparison to conventional furrow irrigation besides 20-30% increase in potato yield.
Social Sciences
- Carried out impact assessment of potato technologies to estimate socio-economic returns to research investments.
- Dissemination of potato technologies through various extension programmes was undertaken at CPRI in order to bridge yield gap across the country.
Storage Technology
- Developed elevated temperature and on-farm storage technologies for storing table and processing potatoes.
AICRP (Potato)
- Standardized the technique for commercial production of hybrid TPS under short day conditions in the plains.
- Identified optimum time of planting, seed rates and seed size for efficient use of resources and inputs in different regions of the country.
- Established fertilizer needs of potato crop in different agro-eco- regions.
- Identified remunerative potato-based cropping sequences in various parts of the country.
- Identified suitable varieties of potato, rice and wheat for introducing potato cultivation in the rice-wheat system and to bring more area under potato for enhancing its production in the country.
- Developed spray schedule using systemic and contact fungicides either alone or in combination for control of late blight on the popular potato varieties in north-western, north-eastern and the central plains.
- Standardized and recommended boric acid treatment against tuber borne diseases like common scab and black scurf to replace environmentally hazardous organo-mercurial compounds (OMCs).
- Standardized package for managing potato stem necrosis disease in warmer areas.
