The Potato Research Group at Washington State University
Our mission
Our mission is to identify new potato varieties and cultural and postharvest management practices that will provide profitable production for the grower, improved competitiveness for the Washington potato industry, a healthy, inexpensive food supply for American consumers, and a sustainable environment.
Our goal
Our goal is to provide relevant and up-to-date information that can be used by growers, processors, fresh-pack sheds, researchers, and other industry personnel.
Information we provide
Tri-State and Regional Variety Trials
Each year, we publish variety-trial results in user-friendly graphs, figures, and charts. This publication is available as a printed volume (the Potato Cultivar Yield and Postharvest Quality Evaluations yearbook) as well as an electronic publication (accessed using Adobe Acrobat). An economic analysis is conducted on all clones and cultivars for both the fresh and process markets, with the exception of the red and specialty clones. Cultivars are ranked according to their overall performance which takes into account economics, yields, tuber-size profiles, tuber quality and many postharvest attributes.
Commercial Seed Lot Evaluations
As a service to Washington potato growers, the Potato Research Group undertakes annual Commercial Seed Lot Evaluations in order to ensure a high-quality, disease-free industry. Results of annual professional evaluations of commercial potato seed lots are presented here as well as at the annual WSU Potato Field Day each June.
Postharvest Evaluations
The postharvest program identifies new potato clones that have superior postharvest and culinary attributes for the Pacific Northwest potato industry. We evaluate the storability and processing qualities of clones produced in early and late season management trials from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho at the postharvest storage and laboratory facilities in Pullman.
Research & Extension Information
Brief descriptions of our field and postharvest research capabilities, as well as a photo gallery of our vast array of research equipment are listed here. Current research articles from the Potato Research Group are located on our Publications page. Many articles may be viewed online.
Potato Varieties
Our Potato Varieties page supplies information on over 575 different varieties of potatoes.
More
Click on the links at the left to explore our site. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.
NEWS & Announcements
2009 Potato Cultivar Yield and Postharvest Quality Evaluations
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Researcher's Edition: Grower's Edition:
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Pest monitoring
Potato Insect Pest Survey for the Columbia Basin
Potato late blight genome sequenced
Knowledge important in breeding resistance. More »
Early warning system helps protect potato industry
Tri-State Potato Varieties
For information and availability, visit the Potato Variety Management Institute.