Rapid multiplication of potatoes in the warm tropics: rooting and establishment of cuttings

Summary To expand potato production in developing countries using cuttings as a source of good quality planting material, requires simple low cost methods to root and establish them. Experiments at a warm tropical site in the Philippines, to determine appropriate methods, showed that simple media ranging from fine sand to clay subsoil mixed with rice hulls enabled rooting which was not improved by hormones. Nitrogen rich media, such as volcanic soil or compost with additional P, were best for developing cuttings into strong transplants but there were no major differences in root and shoot development from cuttings differing in size and age. Tuberizations was favored by increasing the number of nodes buried in the media. Low solar radiation of 7 MJ/m²/day enabled high cutting survival up to root initiation, after which higher radiation supported larger root and shoot production.