Cross pollination yields 120 varieties
Published Wednesday September 3rd, 2008
Growers, exporters and processors search out breeds at Potato Trial Field Day
Stakeholders from every sector of the potato industry gathered in Bloomfield to browse through a field of up-and-coming spuds on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
The Potato Trial Field Day was held at Valley Farms and was organized by Potatoes New Brunswick and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Potato Breeding Program.
Jacques Lavoie is a potato research specialist with the province. He said the purpose of the tour was to allow potato growers, exporters and processors to scope out a variety of research crops in search of breeds which could give their businesses a competitive edge.
"We look at promising new seedlings that seem to have advantages over standard potato breeds," said Lavoie.
The tour exhibited roughly 120 potato varieties.
Lavoie said the strains will be evaluated based on a number of criteria to determine what industry each crop is best suited for.
"Some varieties have better adaptations in terms of weather resistance, disease resistance and greater yield. We're trying to make crosses now that will need less pesticides," added Lavoie.
Agnes Murphy, a potato research scientist, said the strains on display in the tour were started about six years ago. "It's largely a numbers game," said Murphy.
The different breeds are formed through the traditional method of cross pollination, she explained. None of the crops were genetically modified.
Researchers start with a wide range of seeds and narrow the species down by selecting the most promising types and breeding them.
Eventually they are left with a much smaller selection of seeds with the greatest potential to meet various market needs, said Murphy.
It's too early in the trial to tell which potato crops are best suited for use in the valley, she said.
Because the industry in this region is mainly geared toward potato chip and french fry processing, Murphy said, local stakeholders would be looking for specific features in the trial crops.
"If you're a chip grower, you're looking for potatoes that are round in shape and have high dry matter," explained Murphy. "French fry types are much longer and lend themselves into being cut into long strips for frying."
Lavoie said another major factor in the potato processing industry is having a product that looks good.
"For fruits, it's the firmness. For (potato) chips and fries, it's the colour," said Lavoie, adding a healthy yellow tone is desired.
Along with industry stakeholders, members from both levels of government and several international guests attended the research tour.
Lavoie said gathering different sectors of the potato industry together also served as a networking resource for growers and businesses.
In February, the research team is holding an accelerated release open house in Fredericton to allow interested businesses or organizations to pick up a sample of seeds to run their own trials for up to two years.
After two years, if the growers are impressed and want to continue with the crop, they will have an opportunity to bid for the exclusive rights to that breed.
"So it could give people the potential to have an advantage, to have something that no one else has," said Murphy.
The highest bidder wins the exclusive rights to the seed for three more years, she said. And, after that period, are given the option to enter in a licensed agreement with the province to have permanent rights of the crop.
The potato breeding program has existed in Canada since the 1930s.
Lavoie said it's an essential part of the industry. "If you don't do any research then you're not advancing," he said.
The search for crops with the potential to offer more value to potato consumers and producers in Canada will always exist, he added.
"We evaluate the new (potato) varieties that come from different breeding programs throughout North America and Europe and see how they adapt to our growing season here."
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