Principal Investigator :Inpanh VENESOMPHETH

The Country Report

Title:“Technology Dissemination of Virus-free Seed Potato Production using Hydroponic Production Systems”

Principal Investigator :Inpanh VENESOMPHETH

Organization : Coffee Research Centre (CRC), NAFRI

Project duration :36 months (July, 2016 – June, 2019)

1. Introduction:

Potato is the world’s 4thlargest food crop and its importance as the materials for industriesis also increasing i.e. potato starchy, potato chip, especially younger generation people, because it provides low carbohydratethan rice.

In Lao PDR, potato was brought by French since 1923 in Paksong District, Champasak Province and its aims to eat for substituting riceas subsistence consumption. The Paksong District is high land on the Bolaven Plateau, where it is an old closed volcano and its soil and weather condition are suitable for crop production by more than 1,000 meter higher than sea level, averaged temperature is 26 °c (lowest is 8°c)and rainfall is about 2,000 – 4,000 millimeter.

In 2003, the Paksong High Land Company produced seed potatoes by cultivar: Atlanta, more than 100 hectares for exportation to Thailand and their business was failed because potato was died by some diseases. Then, In 2007, the International Trade Company produced potato in 80-100 hectare of land area and unfortunately they were unsuccessful on production which they destroyed by disease as well. Theleaf blight and Cercospora were found, they were 90% of plant were destroy when they occurred and 2 weeks after that they died without any prevention.

Champasak Provincerecentlyhas a high demand of potato and it hasimported potato from Thailand and Vietnam. It is potentially to enhance farmers to produce resistant seed potato and high productivity beside other vegetable and coffee, and it is an option for farmers to provide another income source from vegetable and coffee meet the risk of low price occurrence. In the future, farmers interested to produce for market to 20-50 percent of market demand. Perhaps they can be producing around 15-20 ton per hectare with good management practice and good seed cultivar.

The Seed-borne virus of potato has affected on quantity and quality of potato productivity, by reduce the total yield and also reduce the marketable yield. On the other hand, tissue culture and hydroponic culture of potato production were developed and used widely, to stabilize the potato production and enhance the potato productivity and increase the farmers’ income.

Project’s objective

This project aims to:

• To assist on alleviate potato production by using an appropriate technologies for secured production of quality potato seeds
• To produce a quality virus-free seed potatoes to market
• To develop and study new systems of potato cultivation condition and share experience among AFACI member country

Regarding to project duration for 36 months, there are 4 main activities to implementation and this project is based on station in the Coffee Research Center (CRC) in Southern of Laos, for hydroponic model demonstration and with collaboration on tissue culture in the Rice Research Centre (RRC) in Vientiane Capital.

1. Main Activities (1st year)

Location of experiment

In the first year, the greenhouse and hydroponics system will be established in Champasak Province, especially in Paksong District, where is good condition for potato production in term of temperature, precipitation rate, .

The experimental site of this project will establish in the Coffee Research Center (CRC) in Paksong District, Champasak Province, where it is suitable for seed-potato production by hydroponics, a greenhouse and the hydroponics system will be setting up and thegood control on management process by technical staff.

When seedlings of potato from tissue culture are grow up well at RRC, then they will be send to grow with the hydroponic system at the CRC, where good management and practices will be provide including pest and disease control.

The target cultivar for hydroponics,

The Atlanta cultivar will be selected for seed-potatoproduction due to there is some seed now at the CRC and/or another cultivar from neighbor country market are also appreciating to use for experiment. Based on practice in the past, the Atlanta cultivar can produce for 16 ton per hectare and some farmers are preferred to apply for wide of land but they cannot resistant for disease.

The virus free seed potato will be produce by tissue culture at the laboratory of the Rice Research Center (RRC) in Vientiane Capital, where they have a good quality crop tissue production with the good knowledgeable technical and some contemporary equipment in Ministry of agriculture and forestry (MAF).

Results (optional) & Discussion

Not Available now, the project has just signed to approved in last few month and its activities is not staring yet.

Suggestions for project

Since 2011, potato production was trial for seed line adaptation and it found that there are many factorsaffected such as, incidence diseases and pests, import seed potato from oversea, technical staff are lack of knowledge much on potato and an important is related to climate change as some unpredictable, like a natural disaster.

Project Impacts & Recommendations

Even though, this project has just started and the hydroponic system is still a new knowledge for practices in CRC. There are some limitations of activities implementation. Firstly, the capacity building is a vital necessity for researchers, especially, specific knowledge about potato and hydroponic. In addition, the networking of researchers/experts should be having an platform and/or opportunity to meet and share experiences together.

Future Plan

-Virus and disease elimination by tissue culture

-Pilot production of virus-free seed potatoes by hydroponics

-Mass production of healthy seed-potatoes by greenhouse cultivation