A plant from an infected seed piece can serve as a source of infection to other plants in the field through insect vectors or mechanical contact. The incidence of viruses in a certified seed lot can be determined from the Agriculture and AgriFood Canada seed inspection reports or from the Florida Test results if the seed lot was entered in the winter nursery evaluation. These reports can be obtained either from Agriculture and AgriFood Canada or the seed grower. Seed should be inspected upon delivery and if the commercial grower has concerns about the grade, quality or physical condition, both the seed grower and the Food Production and Inspection Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada should be contacted immediately to request a reinspection. Seed tags or bulk certificates are a grower's assurance that inspected seed potatoes have been purchased.
Some pieces have fewer eyes and produce plants of varying productivity.
Sanitation, Handling and Storage of Seed Lots - Seed lots should be stored, cut and handled under sanitary conditions to prevent the spread of disease and reduce losses from disease organisms that cause rot. Surfaces must remain wet for at least 10 minutes for the disinfectant to destroy disease organisms. Warming helps break the dormancy maintained during cold storage and will speed up emergence. Most potato growers plant within one day of cutting. If cut pieces are to be stored after suberization is complete, they should be then cooled down.