News on Potato Varieties and Seed from the United States

It’s potato planting time in North Florida. St. Johns County is one of the counties in Northern Florida well known for its potato production with the town of Hastings being the center of it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced the availability of $1.85 million in funding for regional potato breeding research to support the development of superior-performing varieties that can be brought to market as soon as possible.

It’s been more than a year since a new potato variety known as the Caribou Russet was unveiled. But so far, it’s been rather hard to find — getting a new potato onto store shelves isn’t as simple as it may seem.

In September, McDonald's approved two relatively new potato varieties for the production of their french Fries. They only allow seven varieties now, four of which were developed by the Tri-State Program

Can the nutritional value of potatoes be improved? That is the question USDA research geneticist Kathy Haynes has been asking for nearly 30 years. Her quest for the answer has led her to breeding a more nutritious potato, similar to the papa criolla types found in South America.

Do you know the Top 6 potato varieties grown in the United States? We created an overview based on the USDA data for the 2016 fall potato crop.

Scientists at Cornell University have developed an electric capacitance measurement that is able to predict the root mass of shrubs and trees. What's more, they hint it may helpful for tubers and root crops as well

A new potato variety that’s genetically modified to withstand bruising has been cleared for commercialization without undergoing USDA’s deregulatory process for biotech crops.

RPE Inc., has created Old Oak Farms Party Potatoes. Quick and easy to prepare, Party Potatoes are fingerling potatoes that transform ordinary dinners into extraordinary parties!

Participants at the 25th annual Texas Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program field day learned that the harvest is underway, that psyllids are threatening unharvested fields and that new varieties are showing lots of promise.

The annual Potato Field Day in the High Plains featuring the Texas A&M University AgriLife Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program will be July 21.

Today, the House of Representatives passed S. 764, the Roberts-Stabenow Agreement, with bipartisan support. Tom Dempsey, President & CEO, SNAC International praised the membership for their hard work in getting this legislation passed.

RPE, Inc.’s bite-sized potato brand, Tasteful Selections™, is continuing its efforts to inspire consumers to rescue moments and spend more quality time with family by creating delicious time-saving recipes and useful cooking tips.

Last Thursday, the United States Senate has passed, by a vote of 63 to 30, a bill that would create a national standard for labeling food made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Potato breeders at Oregon State University are working to identify the gene that makes certain potatoes resistant to nematodes, which could then be used to create new varieties.

A landmark Senate agreement on national disclosure standards for genetically engineered foods would allow companies to disclose GMO ingredients through digital codes rather than on-package langcode or symbols.

Purple potatoes might not be the first thing that comes to mind when trying to increase vitamin, mineral and antioxidant intake. However, a group of researchers from CSU have recently developed potato varieties that satisfy these nutritional needs and could act as a preventive measure to several diseases.

Potatoes have been bred at Cornell for at least 50 years and 70% of the university’s breeding efforts are focused on developing new chip varieties. Walter De Jong reports.