A Technological Revolution in Seed Production: Aeroponics and Tissue Culture Transform India’s Potato Sector

In parallel with its efforts to develop specialised varieties, ICAR-CPRI is advancing a high-tech seed production system designed to tackle a long-standing problem in India — the shortage of certified seed potatoes. The traditional method, which had been in use for more than 50 years, frequently broke down in its early stages, resulting in a chronic lack of quality planting material. The new system rests on two core components. The first is tissue culture and micropropagation: the process begins with the production of virus-free in vitro cultures (mother plants), which shortens the time seed material spends in the field by at least two years, significantly reducing the risk of disease infection and accelerating multiplication. More than 20 laboratories producing such cultures have already been established across the country. The second component is aeroponics, the most advanced technology introduced by ICAR-CPRI. In this method, plant roots are suspended in the air and periodically sprayed with a nutrient mist, with no soil involved. This offers enormous advantages over conventional mini-tuber production in protected conditions: yields of 7–10 times more mini-tubers per plant, the elimination of soil contact and thus of soil-borne infections, savings in water and nutrients, the ability to harvest tubers of the desired size several times over, and a substantially lower cost per mini-tuber compared with the 5–6 rupees typical of the traditional system.

The technology has already been commercialised: licences have been granted to 14 firms across various states, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana. Even operating at half capacity, these firms produce around 6.5 million mini-tubers annually. To scale the technology further, ICAR-CPRI plans to collaborate with agricultural universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) technology transfer centres and private entrepreneurs throughout the country. Together, these two directions — the breeding of specialised varieties and the industrial production of healthy seed — work in tandem to supply Indian farmers with quality planting material and to strengthen the resilience of the entire sector.