Moscow, Idaho, USA
January 25, 2011
Research on potato, whieat and oilseed crops bring international attention to University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) researchers who help Idaho agriculture remain competitive in global markets.
The University of Idaho Technology Transfer Office honored three plant researchers in
November with Innovation Awards—potato agronomist Jeff Stark, wheat breeder Robert
Zemetra, and canola and mustard breeder Jack Brown.
The awards recognized researchers who gained plant variety protection or patents for their inventions in fiscal year 2010. Others were honored for issuing licenses to businesses to market plant products developed by University of Idaho. “We are extremely proud of all three plant scientists,” said John Hammel, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and director of the Idaho Ag Experiment Station. The varieties they developed are critical to Idaho's No. 1 industry, agriculture,” Hammel said. “Through their efforts, and those of our faculty throughout Idaho, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences provides critical research and development capability and serves as an important economic engine.”
Wheat. Robert Zemetra's Brundage wheat variety ranks as Idaho's most popular—10 percent of all wheat grown in Idaho this year. The new award recognizes Zemetra for developing an herbicide tolerant Clearfield cultivar of the Brundage wheat so popular among growers.
Potatoes. Jeff Stark was honored for his work with Classic Russet, Alpine Russet, and Clearwater Russet potato varieties. Classic Russet has shown significant potential for the fresh potato market, while Alpine Russet and Clearwater Russet are being evaluated by the processing industry as potential replacements for Russet Burbank, currently the industry standard.
Oilseed. Jack Brown was honored for issuing a license to Wyoming-based AAP to commercialize eight of his mustard, canola, and rapeseed varieties. In 2010, he took steps to move two new oilseed cultivars to market—Kodiak, a brown-seeded Oriental mustard, and Arriba, a canola. Brown's two best known mustards can control weeds and nematodes when used as biopesticides. Since Brown's breeding program releases a decade ago, he estimates that licensing revenues have generated about $800,000 back to his research.
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