Washington State University

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

Several newly evolved strains of the disease known as potato virus Y, or PVY, can render potatoes unmarketable and reduce crop yield. What’s worse is the new viruses are particularly difficult to detect with the naked eye.

The latest Focus on Potato webcast, titled “Best Management Tactics and Fungicide Resistance in Early Blight and Brown Spot” highlights the importance of measures to mitigate fungicide resistance, particularly when applied and repeatedly used on a single site.

Foreign countries are showing increasing interest in potato varieties developed in the Pacific Northwest and managed by the Potato Variety Management Institute (PVMI).