Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Potato berries and TPS (true potato seed)

**Tom Wagner** · July 9, 2009

I hate to see anyone suggesting not to mess with potato seeds (TPS), but then again, most people are not hybridizing their flowers to get the hybrid vigor so important in potato breeding and cultivar development. Most of the time, when folks find potato berries on Yukon Golds, the seed is selfed. With lots of experience, I should be safe to guess this to be true for most folks' gardens. Whenever I self potatoes or allow them to open pollinate, I use the progeny most often in future crossing programs.

My hunch is that most folks trying potatoes from seedlings get discouraged because they don't have the valuable hybrid seed in the first place. But, then again, nobody is asking the seed companies to carry really great hybrid potato seed.

Tom Wagner

July 9, 2009	#64
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	I hate to see anyone suggesting not to mess with potato seeds (TPS), but then again, most people are not hybridizing their flowers to get the hybrid vigor so important in potato breeding and cultivar development. Most of the time, when folks find potato berries on Yukon Golds, the seed is selfed. With lots of experience, I should be safe to guess this to be true for most folks' gardens. Whenever I self potatoes or allow them to open pollinate, I use the progeny most often in future crossing programs. My hunch is that most folks trying potatoes from seedlings get discouraged because they don't have the valuable hybrid seed in the first place. But, then again, nobody is asking the seed companies to carry really great hybrid potato seed. Tom Wagner