US: Today's potato variety trials yield tomorrow's french fries

Just as every child wants to grow up to be like his or her idol, every little potato wants to become french fries.

Those are the best potatoes, says Phil Hamm, superintendent of the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. That's why he and others at the center participate in the Tri-State Potato Variety Development Program with scientists from Washington, Idaho and elsewhere in Oregon.

Every year, the scientists plant individual hills of spuds, hoping to find a variety superior to today's best.

"The good, old Russet-Burbank potato that has been around for years has so many negative characteristics," Hamm said. "But it will continue until these folks come up with a suitable replacement."

Dan Hane, an agronomist and the center's potato specialist, has been involved with the variety trials for the past 30 years.

"It's the best program anywhere in the world working on processing varieties - french fry varieties," he said.

The program is important to Columbia Basin growers.

"Eighty percent of what we grow here in the Northwest is made into french fries," Hane said.

The potato processing industry has been built on Russet-Burbanks because they have the starch characteristics food service companies want, they yield well, are disease resistant, store well and make a light-colored french fry.

Finding another variety to push out Russet-Burbanks has been a long-term project. The Tri-State project has released several new varieties in recent years, but none has captivated the market.

Program participants released the Umatilla variety in 1998. Hane said McDonalds has accepted it for use in its restaurants. It was named Umatilla because it was grown and selected in Oregon first.

"If they can stand up under the conditions here at Hermiston, they're going to do pretty good," he said.

The Tri-State program releases about one new variety to growers every year.

Other new processing potatoes coming out of the program have been Defender and Western Russet, 2004; Blazer Russet, 2005; and Highland Russet and Premier Russet in 2006.

The path from the potato patch to the fry basket is long and involved. Hane said it takes at least 15 years and multiple selections.

"None has become a primary processing variety, other than Umatilla and maybe Premier," he said. "It's not an easy market to get a variety accepted in."

Once cross-pollinated potatoes are identified as being a possibility for a new variety, they're grown in single hills alongside other candidates. Every fall, potato experts from the three states visit every station with potato trials and visually select the best ones.

Those winners then are tested further in different locations in the same state, then in different states.

"All these 15 years are spent on increasing the seed and increasing the locations where they are evaluated," Hane said.

Ultimately, the decision is made in the kitchen.

"If it doesn't process, it's out the door," he said, pitching his thumb over his shoulder. "We're pretty harsh on them."



Source: eastoregonian.com

Publication date: 12/1/2009

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