Potato Seed Excessive Age?

[AUMF]

Hello,

I have a bulka of potato seed from last season's harvest. I intended to grow it six weeks ago, but continual wet weather has put planting back. The seed is well shot which isn't a concern for this variety, but what concerns me is that a fair proportion of the seed has small tubers initiating off the shoots. Does this mean the seed is too old to grow?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lowland1]

You probably aren’t in U.K but I have had this problem when we are ready to plant and it rains. When I was in England we sometimes got delayed and the crop would be very well sprouted before we could plant so much so that we would cut the bags down the centre to empty them but they still grew a crop even if planted as late as early June. Here in Kenya it doesn’t work like that once well sprouted they lose their vigor and grow very poorly and if you see the little potatoes growing from the sprouts I would be very worried about planting them.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

All I can say is, I wouldn’t! You’ll probably end up with less stems, less vigor and low tuber numbers.

After soil conditions I’d say seed condition is the next important thing.

A very expensive crop to grow!

 

[Bogweevil]

Physiology-wise this seed is very old and will not produce much vegetative growth so has !limited yield potential. At some stage the current daughter tubers will mature, then lose dormancy and produce many crowded shoots and a crop of small tubers.

I fear the prospects for a good crop are limited.