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Terrific New Potatoes
for Growers and
Gardeners
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The potato is the vegetable of choice in the United
States. On average, Americans devour about 142 pounds of it per
year. New potato releases by ARS scientists give us even more
choices of potatoes to eat.
(K9152-1)
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Backyard gardeners who want something
new and different for their vegetable beds this year might try an attractive
and appetizing red-skinned potato called IdaRose. This tasty new tuber,
released by a team of Agricultural Research
Service and university scientists, is perfect for steaming or boiling. It
makes a colorful addition to chilled potato salads in summer or a satisfying
accompaniment to heartier, wintertime fare such as soups or stews.
What's more, the plump IdaRose tubers store exceptionally well in a cool, dark,
and dry corner of a basement, root cellar, or low cupboard. "That's unlike
some kinds of potatoes that tend to sprout soon after you put them in
storage," says Dennis L. Corsini, a plant pathologist in the ARS Small
Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit at Aberdeen, Idaho. |
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In a potato cellar, geneticist Richard Novy (right)
and plant pathologist Dennis Corsini examine quality of tubers
from the Aberdeen breeding program after cold storage.
(K9146-1)
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Corsini and Joseph J. Pavek, now
retired from Aberdeen, first eyed IdaRose in 1984. At ARS and University of
Idaho research plots, about a half mile down the road from their offices,
IdaRose was growing among thousands of other experimental potatoes.
Their first impressions of this red beauty led to a decade of rigorous testing
by growers and university specialists. In the tuber trials, IdaRose—known
then only as pedigree number A82705-1R—produced just as many top-grade
potatoes as Red LaSoda, the most widely grown red-skinned potato in the
western United States. Another plus: IdaRose had a lower incidence of unsightly
defects, like hollow heart and internal necrosis, than Red LaSoda.
Secret of Its Appealing Texture
The experimental potato also consistently had the correct balance of starch and
water. "In a red potato," explains Corsini, "you want a lower
starch content, so the potato holds together well when you steam or boil
it."
Today, about a dozen farmers produce IdaRose seed potatoes. Most are sold to
commercial growers to produce the following year's crop of IdaRose tubers for
sale in supermarkets. |
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Breeding potatoes involves choosing parents that
complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses. In crossing
two clones, geneticist Richard Novy pollinates a potato flower
with pollen from another parent.
(K9151-1)
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But some of the seed tubers are
bought up for selling to home gardeners. "Nearly all leading retail
nurseries in Idaho's larger cities,"says Corsini, "have stocked
IdaRose for backyard gardeners. Apparently, homeowners have heard about it by
word of mouth, and want to try it."
IdaRose is one of four new potato varieties that the Aberdeen
scientists—in collaboration with researchers at state agricultural
experiment stations in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho—have
released to growers within the past few years. Their work for western farmers
is of nationwide importance because those growers produce more than half of
America's potato harvest.
The potato is this country's favorite vegetable. On average, Americans eat
about 142 pounds every year—either baked or processed into fries, chips,
or other familiar convenience foods. Potatoes provide vitamins A, B1, and C, as
well as calcium and protein. |
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If breeding is successful, a pollinated potato
flower will develop into a tomatolike fruit containing seeds like
these.
(K9150-1)
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Remarkable Russets Released to
Growers
Besides IdaRose, the scientists have developed two new, top-quality russet
potatoes—Gem Russet and Bannock Russet.
Both varieties have all the characteristics typical of a russet—the most
widely used potato in America. Those familiar features include an oblong shape,
finely netted brown skin, and white flesh. Too, the new spuds are suitable for
fresh-market sale or for processing into golden fries, says Aberdeen plant
geneticist Richard G. Novy.
Tuber trials at test plots in three western states demonstrated that Gem
Russet's yields of U.S. No. 1 tubers (the top commercial grade) were comparable
to those of Russet Burbank, America's best-known and most widely planted russet
variety.
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Disease resistance is important in potato selection.
These potatoes were inoculated with the fungus that causes the
storage disease known as dry rot. Plant pathologist Dennis Corsini
and scientific aide Penny Tubbs examine the tubers for disease
symptoms.
(K9148-1)
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Newcomer Bannock Russet did even
better, boasting U.S. No. 1 yields that were 32 percent higher than Russet
Burbank. And Bannock Russet required about 40 percent less nitrogen fertilizer
than Russet Burbank to produce equivalent yields.
"That saves money for producers," Novy says, "and reduces the
amount of unused nitrogen that could potentially leach into the groundwater.
Also, compared to many other commercial russets, Bannock Russet was more
resistant to a wider array of diseases that plague potatoes."
But why offer growers a choice of two new russets, instead of just one? Novy
explains, "A given region may have many different growing environments. A
russet cultivar that does well at one site may do poorly in another. Having
different cultivars available gives growers the opportunity to try them all,
then select the one best suited for their own growing conditions." |
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Closeup of inoculation points on a potato.
(K9150-2)
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CalWhite Excels in California
Potato Fields
Besides superb new reds and russets, the Aberdeen scientists also breed
potatoes called long whites. Oval, with smooth, white-to-buff skin and white
flesh, these are ideal for roasting, steaming, or boiling.
The research team credits Ronald E. Voss of the University of California at
Davis for much of the work that went into testing CalWhite, a long white that
is proving well suited to that state's famed Central Valley farmlands.
"This potato," says Voss, "surprised everyone by its California
yields. In our tests, CalWhite set a record for production of U.S. No. 1
potatoes."
Originally regarded primarily as a fresh-market spud, CalWhite may find yet
another use. Right now, growers and processors in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho
are scrutinizing CalWhite's performance for processing into dehydrated flakes
or french fries. CalWhite's early maturity would fill an important niche for
french fry processors by providing tubers for processing plants just before the
previous season's stored potatoes are used up. And CalWhite would be available
nearly 2 months ahead of Russet Burbank and other later-maturing potatoes.
Growers can buy seed potatoes of IdaRose, Gem Russet, Bannock Russet, and
CalWhite through about 35 commercial seed producers in the western United
States. Potato breeders and researchers who want to test the new potatoes can
get small quantities from Corsini or Novy, or from collaborator Stephen L. Love
at the University of Idaho at Aberdeen.—By
Marcia
Wood, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.
This research is part of Plant Diseases (#303) and Plant, Microbial, and
Insect Genetic Resources, Genomics, and Genetic Improvement (#301), two ARS
National Programs described on the World Wide Web at
http://nps.ars.usda.gov.
Dennis L. Corsini and
Richard G. Novy are in the USDA-ARS
Small Grains and Potato
Germplasm Research Unit, 1691 S. 2700 W., Aberdeen, ID 83210; phone (208)
397-4181, ext. 112 [Corsini] or ext. 111 [Novy], fax (208) 397-4165. |
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"Terrific New Potatoes for Growers and
Gardeners" was published in the
December 2000
issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
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