NO ORDINARY POTATOES
The path to new varieties is long—as are the odds of any single
contender prevailing—but the results are extraordinary
by MARLENE FRITZ
WHO WOULD THINK IT, but being a potato breeder is far from a lonely job.
At the University of Idaho’s Aberdeen Research and Extension Center, Richard Novy of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) welcomes visitors who want to compare the health and vigor of potato plants or chat over small piles of harvested tubers in search of varieties with a particular competitive edge. “There’s a lot of industry interest in new varieties and product lines,” he says.
At the Idaho Potato Commission, president and chief executive officer Frank Muir agrees. “This is the way we have to innovate,” he says. “We have got to dominate all sectors of the market. Why give our competitors a high-margin product?”
Novy breeds potatoes for the Tri-State (Northwest) Potato Variety Development Program—an intensive, extensive, and collaborative effort of the ARS and three of the region’s land-grant universities: University of Idaho, Oregon State University, and Washington State University.
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Click arrows to view potatoe varieties.
Photos by MARK LAMOREAUX
From initial crosses in Year 1, ARS scientists nurture their new spuds for an additional five years. By Year 3 at Aberdeen alone, they compare up to 150,000
potential varieties growing side-by-side in one-of-a- kind hills.
In Year 4, the number of competitors is pared down by 98 or 99 percent, and the number of hills of each remaining entrant is multiplied 12-fold. With each ensuing year, losers are winnowed and winners’ seed is increased, allowing replicated evaluations in multiple locations.
“It’s a process that is long, methodical, and very detailed,” says University of Idaho agronomist Jeff Stark, coordinator of the Idaho Tri-State program. “Integrating new potato varieties into a rapidly changing marketplace presents significant challenges, so we like to get industry involved as early as possible in the evaluation process.”
By Year 7, potatoes that have consistently passed muster are enrolled in University of Idaho advanced trials at Aberdeen, Kimberly, and Parma, then in Tri-State evaluations in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, and finally—for the cream of the crop—in regional trials throughout the West.
Next: Tissue cultures
Those slated for future certified seed production are sent to the University of Idaho Potato Tissue Culture Lab in Moscow, where manager Lorie Ewing subjects them to sterilization, anti-viral agents, heat treatments, and intensive bacterial and viral screening before shipping them to superintendent Jim Whitmore at the Tetonia Research and Extension Center for further multiplication for the seed industry.
Variety release, Year 12 to 15
By the time the scientists, growers, and industry representatives who serve on the Foundation Seed Stock Committee vote to release a new variety, 12 to 15 years have elapsed and seed production is well underway at Tetonia and in cooperating seed growers’ fields. At Aberdeen, breeding material is at all stages of development, and at least one new variety is typically released each year.
Varieties Simplot prefers
When Allan French first joined the J.R. Simplot Co. 24 years ago, the firm was processing mostly Russet Burbank potatoes. Now, at least eight other varieties have joined Simplot’s lineup, among them Shepody and Tri-State’s Ranger Russet and Umatilla Russet, whose harvest times allow them to be processed sequentially before the Russet Burbanks roll in from the field.
French, now the firm’s potato variety development manager, is always in the market for new potatoes that can be processed into the consistently light-colored fried products that consumers prefer. Recently, he has also been looking for tiny “creamer” potatoes that can be chomped down in a bite or two. “It’s a small world anymore, and with our changing demographics and consumer tastes, our niche markets are starting to grow bigger,” he says.
Tri-State’s wish list—improve everything!
Both consumers’ and growers’ evolving demands are reflected
in Tri-State’s wish list for new varieties:
- Resistance to ever-changing plant diseases and pest threats
- Ability to produce high yields and quality with less water and fertilizer
- Higher concentrations of health-promoting vitamins and antioxidants
- Unique visual and culinary appeal
- Resistance to the conversion of starches to sugars during storage, which can darken fried products
Some of those wishes are already starting to come true.
Increased Vitamin C: Experimental lines show a four-fold difference in vitamin C content, and even current Tri-State varieties Ranger Russet, GemStar Russet, and Defender offer a third more vitamin C than Russet Burbank.
Efficient fertilizer: Alturas and Bannock Russet—other Tri- State releases—are notably more efficient in fertilizer use, requiring 40 percent less nitrogen than Russet Burbank.
Drought tolerant: GemStar Russet, Defender, and Premier Russet stand up surprisingly well to drought. And some of the newcomers are also highly resistant to potato virus Y, a disease that can attack virtually every susceptible potato in a field.
Rainbow potatoes
On Tri-State’s horizon is a rainbow’s end of niche-market lines with dark purple skin and flesh, dark red skin with dark pink flesh, and purple or red skin with yellow flesh. Yukon Gem,released in 2006, tempts consumers with pink eyes and yellow flesh and processors with golden chips.
University of Idaho plant physiologist Mike Thornton, director of the Idaho Center for Potato Research and Education, evaluates specialty varieties for Idaho. While colorful skins and flesh excite market interest, Thornton sees particular value in their potential to deliver vitamins and antioxidants. “As people become more health-conscious, developing potato varieties with enhanced nutritional qualities is a real opportunity.”
Storage tests for six varieties a year
Every year, six new varieties from the Tri-State program are evaluated for dormancy, disease resistance, sugar development, and culinary qualities at the Kimberly Potato Storage Research Facility.
“Our objectives are to take potentially good experimental lines or varieties one step further, looking at the best storage-management practices and identifying any storage concerns,” says Nora Olsen, University of Idaho Extension potato specialist at Twin Falls.
“That allows us to generate good recommendations on how best to handle a variety in storage before Idaho produces significant amounts.” “Our role is to develop and transfer new technology to the potato industry,” says Thornton. “We want to help growers be economically and environmentally sustainable so that Idaho continues to be the premier potato-growing state in the U.S.”
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