February 2006
Nutritional Evaluation of Potato
Varieties and Breeding Lines
By Roy Navarre, Roshani Shakya, Aymeric Goyer and Joanne Holden
Just what vitamins and phytonutrients are in potatoes? Do some varieties have
significantly more than others? Can new varities be developed that have even
more? These are questions we are interested in answering, and undertaking made
more feasible due to recent scientific advances including better instrumentation,
genomics and new medical research.
For most crops, including potatoes, nuritional profiles are available only
for a few varieties. We are measuring the phytonutrient content of numerous
varieties to determine whether there are potato varieties "out there" that
have substantially more of a particular vitamin or phytonutrient than others.
Washington
State Potato Commission to Take a Proactive Approach
Proactive planning
is a top priority for the Washington State Potato Commission's (WSPC)
new executive director, Chris Voigt.
Officially on board since last September, Voigt already is well into the development of a long-range plan that he hopes will help the Commission better serve the industry.
"The WSPC
has an outstanding record of performance, and that's the major reason
I am so excited about being here," he said during a recent interview.
"In my experience working for the U.S. Potato Board, I've traveled
across the country and gotten to know growers in pretty much every
state. But it has always been the Washington growers that I have
enjoyed the most, simply because they are innovative, progressive
and fun to be around. The Commission here has been, and continues
to be, truly outstanding.
WSU Licenses New Class of Potato
Sprout Inhibitors
Washington State University has licensed a new class of
potato sprout inhibitors expected to have a major impact on how potato
growers store their crop.
American Vanguard, headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif.,
is the recipient of the licensing agreement and will manufacture and
distribute the product for the commerical marketplace. The company
is a diversified specialty and agricultual products company that develops
and markets crop protection, turf and ornamental products and public
health insecticides.
The technology was developed by Dr. Rick Knowles, professor of horticulture
and landscape architecture and a scientist in WSU's Agriculture Research
Center.
Follow the Plan or Face More Red
Ink and Market Disruption
Overcapitalization and overcapacity in all aspects of
the potato industry have led to excess supplies, cutthroat pricing and
what amounts to an overhead tax on everything from production and fresh
sheds to dehy and frozen french-fry processing.
"In short, we're in a major mess," declared Jerry Wright, CEO, United Potato Growers of Idaho, speaking a the annual Idaho Seed Potato Growers' Seminar Jan. 17 in Pocatello, Idaho. "We are in a market that is fundamentally changed, and without a significant change ourselves in the way we do business, this entire category is in for more red ink and more disruption."
Wright recommended a three-pronged approach to restoring profitability to an indsutry plagued with chronic overproduction, significant overcapacity in fresh, frozen and dehy industries and hundresd of excess sales people trying to sell to a consolidated customer base growing more powerful every year.
The Changing
Nature of PVY
By Jonathan Whiltworth, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS, Aberdeen,
ID
Much information has been collected in North America since Potato virus YN (PVYN) was first detected in the early 1990s. PVYN, or recrotic strains, are different than the PVYO strain that was common in North America. PVYO, the common strain, causes yield loss in potato, and seed certification systems have worked well to identify and reduce the amount of PVY in seed lots. Over the years, the cultivars grown and the viruses themselves have changed. These two factors have led to increases in PVY levels in the potato industry. Increasingly, the amount or type of PVY in a crop has caused many in the industry to look for new answers on how to control PVY.
Potato Tuber Moth Research Conducted
at OSU's HAREC
Compiled by Sandra DeBano
Scientists at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC)
have worked on a variety of potato tuber moth (PTM) research projects since
2004. This work includes both field and laboratory studies. The results of
some of the most significant research projects conducted in 2005 are listed
below. They are organized in a question-and-answer format with the researchers
leading each effort and a brief description of methods and results.
Q: How far has PTM spread throughout the Columbia Basin,
and how do 2005 numbers compare to 2004?
New Variety Showcased at Washington
Conference
Those attending the 2006 Washington State Potato Conference
had an opportunity to taste and evaluate a new Russet-type potato variety
developed by the Nortwest (Tri-State) Variety Development Program. A
contest was held to come up with the new name.
"This is the first time we've offered a taste of a new variety at the Conference," says Mark Pavek, potato specialist, Washington State University, Pullman. "In the past, we've used varieties that have been around for a while. We thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce new material into the industry and allow the folks that may grow it a chance to see what it tastes and looks like."