Seed preparation
For seed potatoes there are several treatments: sorting, sprouting, cutting, seed disinfection.
Sorting
Prior to selling seed lots or using them for planting, these lots have to be brought up to the minimum seed standards by sorting. Lots containing tubers infected with quarantine diseases (e.g. brown rot) should not be used as seed and be destroyed.
Sorting should take place not earlier than a few weeks before the seed is sold or planted.
Seed lots that have already reached the "normal sprouting stage" and have been prepared for selling/planting, should after sorting not be kept at high temperatures but temporarily be returned to the cold store in case there are doubts that the seed is being sold/planted within two weeks after sorting.
SEED QUALITY
Sprouting
Sprouting of seed accelerates the emergence of a crop. Especially when the available growing period is short or when there is a risk of Rhizoctonia, sprouting of the seed is recommended.
In no case non-sprouted seed, which comes directly from the cold store, should be planted . Before it is planted the seed should at least be exposed to higher temperatures for a week.
SEED SPROUTING
Cutting
It may be considered cutting large tubers or tubers still in a physiological young stage.
CUTTING OF SEED
Chemical seed treatment
Before storage and/or planting the seed may be treated with chemicals to reduce losses and/or to control diseases.
CHEMICAL SEED TREATMENT