True potato seed : past and present uses

This report holds up true potato seed (TPS) as an efficient alternative to the seed tuber in making the potato available to tropical farmers. TPS offers several advantages over seed tubers: (1) it can cost only a tenth of what farmers usually pay for seed tubers; (2) it minimizes problems associated with tuber-transmitted disease; (3) TPS can be stored inexpensively in warm, humid areas for several years, and reduces the need for the specialized storage facilities tubers require; (4) TPS can be inexpensively transported to remote regions, while perishable tubers can be very expensive to transport; (5) TPS can reduce farmers" dependence on seed certification schemes, which are often plagued with technical and institutional problems and perform poorly. The report outlines the history of TPS, TPS production and utilization systems, and TPS"s role in small-scale food production. Includes illustrations, references (1961-87).