BROOKS, Alta. — More than 100 separate bushel baskets of potatoes, each containing the production from 10 hills, are lined up on the grass at the Crop Diversification Centre South. Each contains a different variety of potatoes, some of them tried and true and others being considered for multiplication and future production. “Breeding is a […] Read more
Tag Archives Potatoes
Varieties showing promise head to potato trials, buyers
Spud research looks at greenhouse gas emissions
BROOKS, Alta. — Potato plants need a lot of nitrogen to produce tubers at optimum levels, but with more applied nitrogen comes an increased risk of nitrogen loss to the atmosphere. Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta, is studying the use and loss of that fertilizer in potato crops. He […] Read more
Fewer spuds sown in Canada
Canadian potato growers planted slighter fewer acres than they did a year ago, according to Statistics Canada. Nationally, farmers planted 344,884 acres in potatoes, which is down .6 percent from a year ago. It marks the 13th straight year that seeded potato acreage has posted declines nationally. On the Prairies, 64,500 seeded acres were reported […] Read more
Potato research receives federal funding
Federal government funds to help expand markets for Canadian potatoes were announced March 15 in Winnipeg. The agriculture department announced $274,000 in funds through Growing Forward 2, which will be used to expand foreign and domestic markets for potatoes “through trade shows, targeted advertising, incoming missions, market research and development, and product promotion.” Announcement of […] Read more
Spuds: will that be boiled or baked, mashed or fried?
Potato growers urged to emphasize the fresh, local aspects, promote new varieties and provide recipes for this versatile, ‘dynamic’ vegetable
Respect the russet! That ringing endorsement of popular potato varieties was accompanied by a table full of 15 new types now ready for evaluation and licence agreements. Agriculture Canada had the new varieties on display at the Lethbridge Research Centre Feb. 15 and held a joint video conference involving researchers in Lethbridge, Guelph, Ont. and […] Read more
New potato processing plant announced for southern Alta.
A new potato processing facility in Lethbridge, to be built by Cavendish Farms, was announced Dec. 12 at Lethbridge city hall. It is expected to create demand for an additional 9,000 acres of potatoes in southern Alberta. Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman said in a news release that the project, with an investment of at least […] Read more
Prairie potato yields continue to rise
Manitoba yields have risen steadily over the past five years and the hope is to compete with Washington and Idaho
Potato storage sheds in Manitoba are full, thanks to blockbuster yields this fall. In fact, yields were so large that a portion of Manitoba’s potato crop is still in the ground. “Some people had yields they were just not anticipating,” said Dan Sawatzky, manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association. “They ran out of storage […] Read more
From plantlet to tuber: the story behind the staple
Modern potatoes start as tiny plantlets that take years of nurturing before they become a full-grown tuber for the seed market. It can be a risky business. New varieties may offer disease tolerance or turn into tastier french fries but have little value if the market rejects them. “At the end, it is the consumer […] Read more
Insect found in Alberta but disease not present
The psyllid story sets up like a good news-bad news scenario. The bad news is that the potato psyllid, a tiny insect that can carry zebra chip disease that is harmful to potato production and appearance, has been found in Alberta. The good news is that it isn’t carrying the disease. Dan Johnson, an entomologist […] Read more
Spore ID helps prevent late blight
Identifying the different genotypes will help growers select the right fungicide
Traps designed to identify potato blight spores could help potato growers prevent infection of their crops. Researcher and Lethbridge College instructor Melanie Kalischuk is in the second year of a three-year project to erect a network of volumetric traps that will help her and her students identify the presence of late blight spores. The information […] Read more
