Do Potatoes have seeds?- Yes, Potato does have seeds. Obviously seeds are for growing the next generation of potato. But the seeds of potato symbolize two different aspects.
First, the part of the plant used to grow a new plant. Second, the actual seed that develops inside a fruit. It is also used for growing new plants. Note that their purpose is the same that’s why they are referred to as seeds.
Such contradicting thought is common with potatoes. Why is it so? This is certainly an obvious question for most of us.
It is easier for gardeners to understand, for others here is the fact. Potato is generally grown from potato itself. Yes, commercially another mature potato is used to grow a new plant. Those potatoes are referred to as seed potatoes.
Actually, Potato is a tuber and grows new shoots in a favorable climate. Each new shoot grows from a notch like portion called an eye of a potato. On Average, a single potato can have up to 8-10 eyes.
Check out my previous post on Potato is a Root or Stem?-All you need to know.
In the correct temperature and weather conditions, a new shoot grows from each eye. It is ideal, economical, and also very easy to use these germinated potato shoots to grow.
On the other hand, potato also forms flowers and bears fruits like a small tomato. The fruits look similar to small green round tomatoes. On maturing these fruits develop seeds. These seeds can be used to grow back new potato plants. So what’s the point – do potatoes have seeds or not?
Ok, let’s check out some easy questions to clear this idea. Also, try to answer some of these to understand the concept better.
Also, Check out this How to remove lectins from Tomatoes or Potatoes.
Potato seeds online
Are online potato seeds real?- Yes, it is possible that the seeds sold online can be real potato seeds. It depends on the seller and of course your trust. After all, you have to water for at least 1 and a half months to check whether the seeds are real or not. At least you can check out for authentic reviews before buying any seeds online.
- Check out the price for potato seeds on Amazon.
Do Potatoes Produce Seeds?
Yes, Potatoes produce seeds. No, not only the tuber is used to grow in fields but also the true seeds are possible to grow. The potato plant can produce seeds but their viability can not be justified always.
Mature potato plant develops flowers. These flowers are similar to brinjal or eggplant flowers. The color may vary depending on the variety of potato you choose. Sometimes you can find Blue, Purple, or a pure white flower with a common yellow center. Red flowers in potato are very rare but real and possible.
What is True Potato Seed?
The seeds produced by any mature fruit are the True seeds. Potato also produces seeds in tomato-like fruit. These tiny seeds are the true potato seeds.
generally, you may have not noticed a fruit of potato. Actually it is not so common during the season. Only the late grown plants bear fruits of potato.
Initially, these fruits are green small and tomato like structures. Later on, they get ripen and turns their color to purple or red. Once mature, we can collect the true biological seeds of potato from these fruits.
Is Potato Itself a Seed?
Seeds developed within fruit are the Only true seeds. In potato, the old ones having new shoots are often called potato seeds.
Technically potato is a tuber a part of the root, it can not be a seed. Only the cultivators and gardeners called it a seed as a new plant can be grown directly from these old potatoes.
From plantation point of view, Yes Potato itself is a seed. It can be used to easily grow new potato plants.
What does a potato seed look like?
If you are regular with gardening then you might be familiar with the chilly seeds, tomato seeds, or the eggplant seeds. They all look quite similar to the potato seeds.
The seeds of potato are small flat and somewhat round in shape. Mature seeds of potato are light yellow or white in color.
What is the size of True potato seeds?
True potato seeds are generally 1-2 mm in diameter. One significant point to notice in these seeds is the pointed tips. This is the spot where new roots will come out.
The seeds used commercially are not true seeds. Actually these are the year-old potato tubers that has some shoot growth on it. If you consider these tubers as seed. Then the size would vary from 2cm to 10 cm or sometimes bigger.
Generally, these bigger tubers are sown in pieces. The whole potato need not be wasted for just a single viable plant.
What are Potato seeds called?
Biologically potato seeds are called True potato seeds or TPS. These are the natural hereditary carriers of these plants. Technically seeds are considered as the best option for propagating a vegetative plant but it is not true in case of potato.
In potatoes, we usually prefer vegetative propagation using the tubers. This is probably an easy and faster method of growing potatoes.
Can We grow potatoes from the seeds?
Yes, you can definitely grow potatoes from its true seeds. The only problem with this process is the viability of the seed. The germination rate of seed is very low in hybrid potato variety.
Also, we can not confirm if the plants grown from seeds produce the same potato as the parent plant. Most of the time potato grown from seeds will be smaller in size and inferior in quality than its parent plant.
Also, the availability of these biological potato seeds is also a big problem for commercial purposes. Still, you want to grow potatoes from seed? If yes, then you should be aware of this fact that you will need nearly 6 times more seed for the same amount of cultivation.
Above all being a garden enthusiast and a researcher I would suggest trying the seeds at least once. It will be a great opportunity to learn new aspects of commercial farming. Also, this will help in developing new potato varieties.
Why does scientist prefer seed over tubers to grow potatoes?
This is really a good question. Actually, Scientists grow potatoes for research purposes. They don’t need commercial yield. Instead, they have to study the hereditary aspects of each variety.
This will help them to select the best characteristics for a future commercial product. Also, only the plants grown from seeds can bear new characteristics, other than their parents. This is the base for modern hybridization techniques.
Before leaving you should read What size grow bag for Tomatoes? Know the Tricks.
Final Words
I think I have made my point. Now it is clear and obviously understandable that potato does produce seeds. The true seeds of potato are the biological seeds that develop inside a tomato like small potato fruits. Also, don’t forget about the beautiful flowers of potato. Do you grow potatoes? have you seen some of these flowers or fruits in potato plants? What do you think- Do Potatoes have seeds?
Please write down your experiences below and share your valuable ideas with us. The best one will be listed in this post with Insta handle. Here another question you can work around- What does potato fruit taste like? I’m talking about actual fruit, not the tuber root. Do some research and stay tuned for upcoming updates or the answer. Till then keep reading keep gardening.
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