USE OF SEEDLING TUBERS FROM TPS IN SOUTHERN ITALY

The TPS seedling tuber technique can be successfully adopted in develo ping as well as in developed countries as a standard agronomic system for potato production. Experimental work has been started in order to select the best parental lines and to evaluate the appropriate breedin g schemes for the use of this technique in southern Italy. During 1989 48 true potato seed (TPS) families with different genetic backgrounds were tested for seedling tuber production and they produced a good yi eld. The seedling tuber families were tested for tuber production duri ng 1990 by subdividing them in two size classes: 25mm-35mm and 35mm-45 mm. The highest yield was attained by 4X x 2X families and the analysi s of variance indicated significant differences with regard to tuber s ize and TPS families for both total and marketable tuber yield. This t echnique has significant potential for providing tubers for both the f all and winter crop in Italy.