Toward Enhanced Seed Potato Yield: Ultrasonication Techniques for Sustainable Agricultural Development

The study aims to explore the potential of ultrasonication techniques in seed potato production as a sustainable agricultural innovation. By improving seed potato efficiency and promoting resource optimization, this research seeks to align with the goals of sustainable agricultural and rural development, addressing challenges such as food security, environmental preservation, and economic viability in rural farming communities. The research was based on a three-year field experiment, utilizing the randomized block design in a split-split-plot arrangement, in the central-eastern region of Poland. The primary factor were technologies: a) technology with employing ultrasonic pre-planting treatment, b) traditional cultivation without this treatment. The secondary factors were potato varieties. Sonication of tubers was conducted using a bath-type ultrasonic device equipped with piezoelectric transducers. Results revealed a significant influence of cultivation technology, cultivar, and weather conditions on seed tubers yield, quantity, and multiplication coefficient of potato tubers. However, genetic traits of the examined varieties and random factors significantly affected the individual seed tuber mass and the number of shoots emerging from a single tuber. Ultrasonic techniques have the potential to significantly enhance the quality of seed potatoes and the efficiency of their cultivation while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact, making them an ideal tool for sustainable agriculture systems.