Production of potato mini-tubers in the aeroponic growing system

At the micropropagation laboratory of the Potato Research Centre in Gucha, the following five virus-free in vitro potato cultivars are produced: 'Desiree', 'Kennebec', 'Agria', 'Cleopatra' and 'Sinora'. Acclimatized and rooted plants were transplanted and grown in the three production systems: 1) the aeroponic system, 2) the substrate system, and 3) a combination of the substrate and aeroponic systems. The results obtained indicate that the cultivation system exerts a significant effect on the number and the total yield of potato mini-tubers. In the aeroponic production system, 4.08 times as many mini-tubers were produced compared to the number of mini-tubers produced in the substrate system, whereas 1.29 times as many mini-tubers were produced compared to the number of mini-tubers produced in the combined production system (substrate + aeroponics). The aeroponic mini-tuber production system offers an opportunity to improve the production of seed potatoes in Serbia..