Springlake, Texas, USA
June 17, 2015
The annual Potato Field Day in the High Plains featuring the Texas A&M University AgriLife Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program will be July 30.
Participants at the 2014 Texas A&M University AgriLife Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program field day look at the variety plots. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)
The program is jointly hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and cooperator Bruce Barrett, owner of Barrett Farm.
Attendees should assemble at 10 a.m. at Springlake Potato Sales, located 12.5 miles north of Littlefield and 8.5 miles south of Springlake on State Highway 385, said Dr. Creighton Miller, AgriLife Research potato breeder in College Station.
The program/tour will then move to a location on the Barrett Farm, where Miller has 233 different potato varieties for viewing, including 108 red varieties and 125 Russet, which are known for their use as potato chips.
Miller also will provide an update on the progress of the program, including a new variety release – Reveille Russet.
He said side-by-side planting of each variety allows digging of one row of tubers for the field day, while leaving the second row for plant canopy observation. A field book will be provided with necessary information growers might want for each variety.
Dr. Frank Dainello, program coordinator of the Texas-based zebra chip initiative in College Station, will discuss appropriations and progress of the initiative.
Douglas Scheuring, AgriLife Research senior research associate in College Station, will discuss current zebra chip research being carried out by the Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program.
Barrett will provide an overview of his current production season, and representatives from various potato seed companies will also be present.
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