The kings of the Canadian potato patch are smiling on Saskatchewan, hauling its high quality seed potatoes across the country to the rich red soils of Prince Edward Island.
“It’s the best recognition we can get,” said John Konst, the president of the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers Association.
“It’s the recognition that Saskat-chewan seed is the best in Canada.”
A number of major P.E.I. processing-potato growers have been visiting Saskatchewan this winter to buy seed stocks. They normally buy their seed potato stocks on the East Coast, but P.E.I. and other Maritime areas have been experiencing high levels of leaf roll virus.
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Seed potatoes need to be free of disease. If a commercial grower seeds a field with infected seed, he could easily have a disaster on his hands.
Acreage small
Saskatchewan seed potato growers have long prided themselves on having the cleanest seed in Canada. While many provinces, such as those in the Maritimes, Manitoba and now Alberta, have major processing-potato acreages, Saskatchewan doesn’t.
Since seed potatoes need to be grown isolated from other potato fields, Saskatchewan growers have long claimed their province is ideal.
Ivan Noonan, the general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, agreed.
“Because the acreage is so low in Saskatchewan and there’s no processing, it’s a pretty good sign there’d be less opportunity for any virus levels,” said Noonan.
Growers from P.E.I. bought substantial amounts of Saskatchewan seed potatoes this winter, and some from Manitoba and Alberta, relying on grower contacts they have made over the years.
“We’re aware of what they have in their area,” said Noonan.
Leaf roll virus lives in infected potatoes but is spread by aphids. Some years, strong southern winds bring aphids north, allowing the disease to spread.
That’s why distance between fields is so important.
“We used to have that here, but we don’t any more,” said Noonan, whose province is the potato processing powerhouse of Canada.
Konst hopes the P.E.I. growers’ enthusiasm for Saskatchewan seed stocks spreads throughout the Maritimes.
“I’m really happy with this.”
