|
Click to listen to this article
|
Colorado Seed Potato Crop
By Andrew Houser, Colorado Potato Certification Service
We had a mix of a cool spring, warm July and a very rainy August. Fortunately, the rainfall turned into sunny days in time for harvest. Certified seed growers began killing vines in late July and continued through early and mid-August, limiting potential spread of virus by late-season aphid flights. Overall, crop yields hovered around average.
This year, we will be taking a closer look at using direct tuber testing to supplement our post-harvest test. We used this test on the dormant variety Canela Russet in 2023 with promising results. Our post-harvest test will be taking place on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, again this year.
Colorado certified seed potato acreage was up from 7,836 acres in 2023 to 8,119 acres in 2024. The 2024 accepted certified acreage after summer field inspections was 7,679 acres. Rejections were primarily caused by Potato virus Y (PVY)/mosaic and blackleg. Total potato acreage in the San Luis Valley was 50,188, down from 52,278 acres in 2023.
The top six certified varieties in Colorado are Russet Norkotah selections (1,716 acres), Reveille Russet (1,413 acres), Canela Russet (686 acres), Soraya (478 acres), Teton Russet (340 acres) and Centennial Russet (310 acres). An official 2024 certified seed directory is posted online at potatoes.colostate.edu/programs/potato-certification-service/crop-directory.
All seed lots imported into Colorado are required to undergo a post-harvest test, a lab test for PVY-N, and a lab test for late blight to comply with the Colorado late blight quarantine.
Idaho Seed Potato Crop
By Alan Westra, Idaho Crop Improvement Association
Seed potato acreage eligible for final certification totaled 32,140 acres in 2024, a decrease of 6 percent from the previous season. Not including proprietary genetics, this acreage represents a total of 114 varieties, selections and advanced clones. The top 10 varieties account for approximately 75 percent of the total acres, with Russet Burbank (all strains), Russet Norkotah (all strains), Ranger Russet (all strains), Clearwater Russet and Alturas continuing as the dominant varieties.
Crop yield for 2024 is generally reported as average, primarily due to a cold spring. Frost was also an issue in some areas. Growing conditions improved going into July, and the remainder of the season could be described as hot and dry. The 2024 harvest season was also warm, but digging conditions were generally excellent.
Seed health is similar to last season. The number of seed lots with visually detectable levels of Potato virus Y (PVY) during field inspections increased to 7.9 percent. Blackleg levels were typical, and there were no detections of potato leafroll or bacterial ring rot again this year. Seed quality going into storage is reported as excellent. Generally, the 2024 seed potato crop can be described as having an excellent shape and size profile.
A complete listing of the seed potato crop is available in the 2024 Idaho Certified Seed Potato Directory at www.idahocrop.com. Hard copies of the directory can be obtained by contacting the Idaho Crop Improvement Association Idaho Falls office.
Montana Seed Potato Crop
By Nina Zidack, Montana Seed Potato Certification
The 2024 crop was planted very timely with good planting conditions in May, but got off to a slow start with a cool June. July was hotter than average, but temperatures moderated in August and crop growth was very good. The northwest growing areas of Montana experienced both warmer and drier conditions throughout the growing season. Growers reported excellent quality with strong average yields and a nice size profile.
Montana’s seed potato growers took advantage of the mild autumn conditions and completed harvested by the second week of October. Most areas in the state received a nice soaking rain the third week of September, which set everyone up with perfect harvest conditions. There was no frost damage in any of our growing areas.
Montana certified 10,957 acres for the 2024 crop, which is down 3.4 percent from 2023. While Russet Burbank is still the most widely grown variety, the total acreage continues to decrease. At 3,102 acres, it is 7.5 percent less than 2023 and has dropped 19.5 percent over five years. Conversely, Clearwater Russet acreage has increased 15 percent to 2,197 acres in the past year and acreage has jumped 85 percent in five years. Umatilla Russet ranks third at 1,366 acres, and
Ranger Russet acreage is fourth at 1,021 acres. Alturas rounds out the top five processing russets at 601 acres. Overall, Russet Norkotah selections are down 11.3 percent to 1,254 acres. The
Texas 278 line is the most widely grown at 599 acres. Colorado 3 and Texas 296 have similar production at 241 and 219 acres, respectively, followed by Texas 112 (195 acres).
Specialty varieties including red, purple, yellow and fingerlings make up a small portion of Montana seed potato production at 289 acres. Chip varieties are a minor component of total production, with Lamoka and Atlantic at a combined acreage of 210.
In April, Montana will have a new seed potato certification director. Aritra Roy Choudhury has joined the Montana program and will take over the reins upon my retirement at the end of March.
Oregon Seed Potato Crop
By Tami Brown, Oregon Seed Certification Service
Oregon Seed Certification Service accepted 3,364 acres of seed potatoes for certification in 2024. This is a steady increase of acres for the last six years and increases our 10-year average to 3,010.
Our season was somewhat similar to 2023 with a fairly good planting start and normal or slightly better on the days with smoke cover. Our southern counties had some issues with late frost, but the crop was able to grow out of it.
For the fourth year in a row, Clearwater Russet has remained the variety with the most acres. The other varieties in the top five include chipper and fresh market varieties.
The bulk of Oregon seed has historically come from Nebraska; however, in 2024, Oregon replanted more of its own seed than was sourced from any other state. Our grower directory has more detailed information and can be found at seedcert.oregonstate.edu.
Oregon has continued to conduct post-harvest testing in the greenhouses at Oregon State University. This process allows us to plant over a wider period and monitor the potatoes closer. All seed in Oregon must have a post-harvest test to be eligible for re-certification.
Washington Seed Potato Crop
By Benita Matheson, Washington State Department of Agriculture
A total of 3,123 acres of seed potatoes entered certification during the 2024 growing season.
This is a 197-acre decrease from last year.
Top varieties grown included Ciklamen (348 acres), Russet Burbank (242 acres), Chieftain (241 acres) and other proprietary varieties. A complete report on seed lots is posted at www.agr.wa.gov/services/licenses-permits-and-certificates/plant-permits-and-certification-programs/seed-potato. The total acres planted include 148 potato varieties ranging in size from partial-acre plots to 65-acre fields. Most seed lots are less than 20 acres and include numbered clones, tablestock, processing and heirloom varieties.
Weather in the northwest part of the state included late-season rains, and the eastern region had dry weather with mild temperatures. Plants maintained vigor throughout and were healthy on inspection. Harvest weather was mild, overall. Digging was completed around the third week of October. Yields were normal with very good tuber quality and very few oversized tubers.
Washington state certified seed growers submit seed lot samples for the post-harvest test that continues in Hawaii.
