The Niğde Potato Research Institute, known for introducing local potato varieties to the country's agriculture, has augmented its production capacity through the implementation of the soilless agriculture system in the greenhouses it has established.
The Niğde Potato Research Institute, known for introducing local potato varieties to the country's agriculture, has augmented its production capacity through the implementation of the soilless agriculture system in the greenhouses it has established.
The Niğde Potato Research Institute achieves higher yields through the cultivation of potato seeds using air and water. In comparison to the classical method of producing 5-6 seeds per plant in soil, the institute has increased this number to an impressive 50-150 through the implementation of the soilless agriculture system. Operating in fully controlled greenhouses established with the soilless system, the institute has reached a capacity of 2 million mini tubers and is capable of year-round seed production. Providing insights into the system that reduces costs and enhances yield in seed production, Uğur Pırlak, the Director of Niğde Potato Research Institute, emphasized their goal of delivering local and national varieties to farmers at a higher quality and more affordable prices. Pırlak stated, 'Through our breeding studies, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, our institute has introduced 10 local and national varieties to the country's agriculture. We have transferred 8 of these varieties to local companies, and in our institute, we produce advanced seeds to ensure that these varieties are locally produced, certified, and made available to our farmers.
Highlighting the increased production capacity in the aeroponic greenhouse, Pırlak stated, 'In the aeroponic system, within a completely soilless environment, we can achieve 6-7 harvests by spraying the nutrient solution on the roots at specific intervals. While we typically obtain 6-7 mini tubers from one plant in the soil system, with this aeroponic system, we can now obtain between 50 and 150 mini tubers. We persist in our efforts for year-round seed production at our institute.