In recent years, the production of potatoes in India increased significantly, making it the second largest potato producing country in the world. In addition, the number of processing plants grows along with the demand for certain varieties. This is reported by the Internet portal www.mdpi.com.
The concerted breeding efforts of potato cultivar improvement programs at the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) have resulted in 65 improved potato cultivars, and 23 cultivars now account for almost 95% of the total potato area in India.
Potato varieties in India
Of these 65 varieties, 33 are resistant to various biotic and abiotic stresses, and 8 varieties are suitable for industrial processing.
In fact, all these potato varieties are divided into three groups of ripeness: early, medium and late.
There is a growing demand for new varieties of potatoes with satisfactory yields and technological characteristics, intended for processing into chips and fries, in order to meet both domestic needs and the needs of the export market.
Earlier in India, potatoes were used mainly for fresh consumption, and most of the harvest was for domestic consumption, while in developed countries, the use of table potatoes is only 31%, the rest is frozen French fries (30%), chips (12% ).
Potato processing in India
Potato processing was completely undeveloped until the 1990s, and then, with the start of organized processing by transnational corporations and local players, the industry quickly went up and showed tremendous growth in 10 years. Currently, almost 7,5% of potatoes are processed.
Meanwhile, breeders continue to develop new varieties of quality potatoes for processing.
Therefore, it is important to identify potato genotypes with traits that respond to frequently changing market and production conditions. The priority is to select varieties according to the following characteristics: adaptation to a short day, average ripening, resistance to late blight and a slow rate of degeneration.
Screening of potato genotypes with improved technological characteristics and wide adaptability is important for all segments of the potato industry. To date, Indian scientists have evaluated 21 potato genotypes to obtain higher commercial yields with improved physiological characteristics.
