green cherry-tomato-like balls on potato plants - Ask Extension
A few of our potato plants have small green balls that formed where the blossoms were, after they bloomed. We took a picture after we cut one open, an...
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green cherry-tomato-like balls on potato plants #808301
Asked August 27, 2022, 5:26 PM EDT
A few of our potato plants have small green balls that formed where the blossoms were, after they bloomed. We took a picture after we cut one open, and it was filled with seeds. Is that one of the ways a potato plant goes to seed, besides producing potatoes underground? We've had this in the past on some of our potato plants and are curious what they are. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Itasca County Minnesota
Expert Response
What you have found and described are potato fruits. These are produced occasionally and they occur more often on some potato varieties than others.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what_are_those_fruit_growing_on_my_potato_plants
Luther Burbank produced what became the still famous Idaho russet potato by planting seeds from a potato seed ball.
https://idahopotatomuseum.com/history/potato-development/
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what_are_those_fruit_growing_on_my_potato_plants
Luther Burbank produced what became the still famous Idaho russet potato by planting seeds from a potato seed ball.
https://idahopotatomuseum.com/history/potato-development/