Potato breeders from the USDA Agricultural Research Service,
University of Idaho,
Oregon State University, and Washington State University
comprise the Aberdeen-based program. It has released 21 new
varieties since 1985.
Pullman, Washington
February 4, 2005
New potato variety resists late blight
Agricultural scientists
will soon release a new potato variety with the potential of
increasing yields by 10 percent and reducing production
costs by up to 30 percent.
The variety has increased
resistance to late blight, the disease that caused the Irish
Potato Famine, and which is increasingly attacking
Washington potatoes.
Washington State University's
Debra Inglis, Mount Vernon, announced the variety's
approaching release at the annual statewide Potato
Conference in Moses Lake, Wash., today (Wednesday, Feb. 5).
WSU's Robert Thornton,
extension horticulturist, said the variety is going through
the final approval processes and could be available to
growers by the 2004 or 2005 growing season.
The variety is the result
of more than a decade of research by scientists in the
Northwest Tri-State Potato Variety Development Program,
Thornton said. A90586-11, the identification under which it
has under gone development, is the result of an original
cross made in 1990. The variety will receive a name before
its release to farmers.
Inglis, a plant
pathologist, said the new variety not only has improved late
blight resistance and improved yield, it has good processing
qualities and will allow farmers to reduce the number of
fungicide applications by half.
Development of the new
variety is good news for both traditional and organic
producers, she said.
Over six years of testing
at Mount Vernon, Inglis said scientists found about 50
percent less late blight on A90586-11 foliage at all levels
of infestation.
Inglis said Mount Vernon's
mild marine climate was an ideal testing place because it
favors the fungus that causes late blight disease.
Since A90586-11has been
screened against most known race combinations of the fungus,
scientists believe the new variety's resistance is less
likely to break down over time than current varieties.
"This one has stood out
because of the consistency in its higher level of
resistance," Inglis said.
"One of the things we think
is important is that the resistance doesn't have to be
perfect, the plant doesn't have to be immune. Instead, we
can use a line that has greatly improved resistance and cut
the number of fungicide sprays by half.
Commercial growers usually
make four to 10 fungicide applications a year, depending on
conditions. In Inglis' tests, fungicide applications were
reduced from six a year to three.
"The entire industry wants
to reduce fungicide use as much as possible, and this will
reduce the number of applications, and the costs associated
with fungicide applications.
A90586-11 is a cross
between Ranger Russet, a currently popular variety developed
under the same program, and Polish genetic material.
Development of A90586-11
was supported by a USDA special grant of $183,000 to
Washington State University. The Washington State Potato
Commission invested $59,000 annually in these trials and WSU
conducted the trials in Washington.
A ten percent yield
increase for Washington potato growers would be a $55
million increase over last year. An increase in processing
quality and reduced losses of ten percent might benefit the
potato french fry manufacturers another $6 million, and a
reduction in fungicide costs could save possibly another
$500,000 a year.
Potatoes are Washington's
third most valuable crop, after apples and milk.
