An aeroponic seed potato production technology project has been established in Pakistan through the Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) between RDA-KOPIA and PARC. For sustainable potato production, producing high-quality and disease-free potato seeds is critical in Pakistan. The majority of the farmers recycle their own seeds or obtain them through informal ways. Consequently, tuber-borne illnesses proliferate, seeds deteriorate, and yield diminishes. To mitigate such problems, the country moved to sustainable seed potato production by adopting rapid seed multiplication strategies like the combination of tissue culturing with aeroponic seed production technology which is being evaluated as an alternative to traditional pre-basic seed production methods. A series of experiments were carried out to evaluate the shoot development and mini tuber production attributes between two cultivars, different plantlet size and planting period between October 27, 2021, and January 27, 2022, at the NARC aeroponic facility. A CRD design with three replications was used. The study aimed to compare the productivity by variety, plantlet size and planting period to improve aeroponic seed production technology in Pakistan. The results indicated that Lady Rosetta outperformed Asterix in terms of shoot growth and small tuber output. Early planting at an optimal temperature of 27 degrees Celsius in the daytime showed a substantial difference when compared to late planting in November and tuberization was commenced 50-55 days after transplantation. Furthermore, in an aeroponic seed potato production system, normal plantlets (8-10 cm) at the time of transplantation, performed better than medium and small plantlets. In a nutshell, it was determined that normal size plantlets (8-10 cm) of Lady Rosetta cultivar, planted at optimum time to plant showed best results in the aeroponic system at NARC, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Potato is an important cash crop of Pakistan and widely cultivated in plains and mountains of Punjab. Khyber Pakhtun Khawa Gilgit Baltistan, on an area of 0.313 million hectares in summer, autumn and spring with an annual production of 07.9 million tons. In Pakistan potato yield is 25.2 tons per hectare, which is although above the world average but comparatively low as compare to the potential and other advance potato growing countries because of several reasons. Availability of healthy seeds and advance production technology are the major constraints to achieve the higher potato production goals. It is very alarming that in spite of good position in potato growing countries, we are unable to produce good quality seed. In Pakistan >01% quality seed is available against the seed demand around 0.5-0.7 million tons per annum and mostly depend upon the imported seed 15000-20000 tons per annum. Tissue culture industry has been a proven global technology in potato seed production, so it is dire need of the growing population and climatic change to adopt these modern technologies of potato production for sustainable and higher production and income to contribute potato growing farmers of Pakistan. It is possible with the commercial use of tissue culture and allied techniques as aeroponic potato seed production along with good management and plant protection measures to provide indigenous high vigor and high yield potential potato seed. Pakistan Agricultural Research Council has established Aeroponic Potato Seed Production facility at National Agricultural Research Center with the collaboration of Korean Govt RDA-KOPIA Pakistan. The Aeroponics is a modern technology for growing plants by providing a nutrient solution in the air without soil. Plants grow rapidly in the growth chamber under the aseptic environment, balanced nutrition and sufficient oxygen availability that improves potatoes production in the aeroponic system. This can produce 10 times more yield than conventional production systems. Aeroponics techniques are credited for making potato yield more efficient, and can reduce the number of steps in the potato seed multiplication. Through tissue culture and aeroponics facilities development in Pakistan, first ever more than 200,000 nucleus mini harvested at NARC from the autumn 2021 and spring 2022 planation at KOPIA screen houses. Further seed multiplication from the harvest is under progress at up hills and more than 500,000 tubers (G1) are expected to be harvested during October-November 2022. It is very encouraging, impressive and successful venture of KOPIA at Pakistan for the potato seed production and self-sufficiency to insure food security in the country.