Following enlargement and differentiation of that tissue, it is transferred to a solid medium and moved under high intensity light. Plantlets develop in 4-8 weeks and are routinely subcultured by nodal cuttings. All plantlets coming from a single meristem are planted as a unit, tested as a unit and harvested as a unit. In the winter, N1 tubers produced at the Porter Farm are pre-cut for planting in seed plots several months later. Nuclear seed is planted for the production of the commercial crop at Porter Farm.
Whole seed is used whenever possible.
The seed is planted with a cup planter. The seed plots are rougued regularly during the growing season and units having symptoms of disease or off-type plants are eliminated. The crop is mechanically harvested and treated with a fungicide to control tuber disease. It is then placed in an environmentally controlled, ventilated storage until spring. Sorting and packing is done in March and April for delivery to growers either in bulk or in bags.