May/June 2005
Ted Tschirky: FFA Project Helped
Launch His Career Growing Potatoes for Area Processors
Ted Tschirky’s relationship with
Columbia Basin potato processors
dates back to 1980, when, as a senior in Connell High School, he grew his first
potatoes for Lamb-Weston. Roger Krug and Fran Dawson, field representatives at
the time, helped him obtain the 5-acre contract, negotiated as a FFA project.
Beginning then and continuing today, maintaining a positive relationship with
area potato processors has always been important to Tschirky. This year, he has
approximately 550 acres of Ranger Russets and Russet Burbanks contracted by Ryan
Sams with McCain Foods in Othello and Eric Davis with Lamb-Weston (ConAgra) in
Connell.
His first year out of high school, Tschirky was able to boost his potato contract
from five acres to 30; the second year out, he had a 60-acre commitment. By 1995,
Tschirky was growing around 1,200 acres of potatoes for four different processors —J.R.
Simplot, Lamb-Weston, McCain and Twin City Foods.
Because of tightening margins on contract offerings over the years, the grower
has since trimmed back his acreage.
Tuber Moth Alert: Growers Warned
to Monitor Their Fields
With a growing number of potato tuber moth being captured in various sites in
Oregon and Washington, authorities are stepping up the number of monitoring stations
in the regional survey.
Dr. Andrew Jensen, Washington State Potato Commission; Sandy DeBano and Nick
David, Oregon State University-Hermiston; Mel Martin, J.R. Simplot Co.; and Dallas
Batchelor, Weather or Not Inc., report in the April 14 issue of Potato Progress
that 180 trap sites have been
set up in Washington and 40 in Oregon.
More were scheduled to come on line in Washington by May 1. At that point, there
will be a three-fold increase in the number of traps in the network from 2004.
Check the WSPC’s Web site for trap catch data. The information is posted
in graphical format at: http://www.potatoes. com/research.cfm.
Unraveling the Mystery
of Modern Potato’s Origins
When it comes to veggies, almost everyone can agree on potatoes. But despite
its popularity, the common brown potato has a colorful history that some researchers
are still disputing.
While potatoes are believed to have arrived in Europe in the 1500s from the South
American Andes, Agricultural Research Service botanist David M. Spooner has uncovered
DNA evidence showing that early potatoes also came from South America’s
southwestern coast, in lowland Chile.
From outward appearances, modern potatoes would seem to have Chilean ancestors.
European potato plants have wide leaflets like Chilean ones, and both are “long-day
adapted,” which means they require the longer days of summer to form tubers.
But in the 1930s, researchers started challenging the notion of the Chilean connection,
arguing that the first potatoes to reach Europe came only from the Andes. They
claimed Chilean potatoes couldn’t have survived the long journey from their
native country, down through the Straits of Magellan and across the Atlantic.
White Mold Control :
Fungicide Applications at Full Bloom Proving Most Effective
When is the best time to apply a fungicide for the control of white mold (Sclerotinia
stem rot) in potatoes?
Growers interested in maximizing the efficacy of their fungicides applications
should apply them when the primary flower clusters are in full bloom versus at
row closure, the more traditional practice.
So advises Dennis Johnson, Zahi Kanaan-Atallah and Tom Cummings with the Department
of Plant Pathology, Washington State University.
In research conducted at two commercial potato fields north of Pasco, Wash.,
in 2003 and 2004, the researchers checked various applications and timing. The
potatoes were grown on a sandy-loam type soil. Both fields were 125 acres in
size and were irrigated with center pivot irrigation systems. Both years, in
mid-March, certified seed was planted at a spacing of 9 to 9.75 inches (23-25
cm) within rows and 33.5 inches (86 cm) between rows.
Silver Scurf Control in Potatoes
By Philip B. Hamm, Dennis A. Johnson, Brad Geary, Jeff Miller and Nora
Olsen
Introduction
Silver scurf is caused by a fungus, Helminthosporium solani, a relatively
new problem related to potato production in North America. It wasn’t
until the early 1990s that this fungus was identified as being a serious
issue, particularly in storage. This fungus causes a surface blemish
issue, resulting in the tubers looking “dirty”. H solani
likely attacks all potato cultivars but is most important on those that
are fresh marketed. Smooth skin types appear to be more susceptible than
russet types. While silver scurf infects potatoes in the field, the greatest
damage occurs in storage, particularly with increasing time in storage
and is especially visible on smooth skin cultivars.
Symptoms, Damage and Life Cycle
Silver scurf infects the epidermis of the potato, giving the tuber a
silvery appearance that cannot be washed off. With time in storage, some
cracking of the epidermis does occur which may also effect the weight
of the pile through moisture loss. While the greatest problems occur
in storage, primarily a result of spores spreading from tubers infected
in the field, red and yellow cultivars can have significant infection
and damage at harvest.