NORTHWEST POTATO VARIETY DEVELOPMENT: IMPROVING U.S. FOOD SECURITY AND QUALITY, CONSUMER HEALTH, PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS

The primary objective of this research is to release and commercialize new potato varieties that will directly benefit all segments of the Northwest potato industry. Specific project objectives are as follows:Develop, evaluate, and select superior potato germplasm for various market classes, including dual-purpose russets (both processing and fresh use), single-purpose processing russets (e.g., solely dehydration or processing into fries), early maturing russets for fresh-pack, specialty tablestock (red, yellow or purple skin and/or flesh), and cold-sweetening resistant chippers.Evaluate end-use quality of advanced selections and identify potential varieties with respect to processing and fresh use merit.Improve the efficiency of cultivar development through: a) the use of molecular techniques (e.g., marker-assisted selection) to speed the transfer of desirable traits to cultivated potato, b) the genetic and genomic analysis of traits important to the industry, and c) develop genomic selection training populations for increased breeding efficiency.Evaluate breeding material under both typical and severe disease conditions. Identify commercially acceptable varieties with improved disease and pest resistance.Develop cultural management guidelines for newly released varieties to facilitate their adoption and utilization and maximize production efficiency and profitability.Increase and maintain seed stocks free of viruses and other pathogens for distribution to representatives of the potato industry interested in evaluating breeding material.