The Tri-State Potato Variety Development Program has approved the release of three new potato varieties, bringing to 25 the number of potato varieties released by the 31-year-old program.

University of Idaho agronomist Jeff Stark cooperates in this joint effort of Washington State University, Oregon State University, University of Idaho and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. "It takes 12 to 15 years to get a variety through the whole process of evaluation before it's ready to be released," says Stark. "Now we're seeing the program's productivity and are reaping the rewards of the work that's been done by many researchers and industry cooperators over the last two decades."

One of the newly released potatoes, A93157-6LS, is a mid- to late-season variety notable for its high yields of U.S. No. 1 tubers, excellent fry color from cold storage and resistances to sugar ends, tuber malformations and most internal and external defects. Although it's intended for both fresh and processing markets, Stark says processors in particular have anticipated this potato's release because it will allow them to make light-colored fries from tubers stored at temperatures as cold at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold storage temperatures minimize the potential for disease and sprout development but prompt sugar-related darkening in most potatoes.

Stark says A93157-6LS has "a very attractive appearance, nice russet skin, uniform shape and size and good resistance to potato virus Y. It produces a much higher percentage of U.S. No. 1's than Russet Burbank and generally higher than Ranger Russet. In terms of its net economic return per acre, we feel that it has the potential to be a real winner for the industry."

A9045-7, another high-yielding mid- to late-season variety, also produces substantially more U.S. No. 1's than Russet Burbank. "One of its major assets is that it produces a high yield of relatively large, uniform tubers," says Stark. Primarily intended for processing markets, A9045-7 has good resistance to internal and external defects and reasonably good resistance to verticillium wilt and potato virus Y.

The third new potato, NDA5507-3Y, is a mid-season yellow-fleshed variety for fresh specialty markets. "We anticipate that it will fit the same market niche as Yukon Gold-one of its parents-but it has several advantages," Stark says. "It has higher yields in pretty much all trials and it also has much better potato virus Y and late blight resistance."

All three potatoes will be licensed to the Potato Variety Management Institute, a marketing arm of the Idaho, Oregon and Washington potato commissions.