Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program Field Day features 134 potato clones

The annual Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program Field Day, featuring 134 potato clones, is set for July 18.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Bruce Barrett Farms are playing host to the free program. Participants will meet at 10 a.m. at Springlake Potato Sales. No registration is required.

“We always look forward to the field day because it allows everyone involved in the industry, including researchers, commercial and seed growers, processors and retailers to discuss their experiences this season,” Isabel Vales, AgriLife Research potato breeder in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said on the school’s website. “We also look forward to discussing the potatoes being released from our program.”

The clones — russets, chippers, reds, yellows, purples, smalls and fingerlings — include Texas-released varieties, advanced selections and some advanced clones from other collaborating breeding programs.

Jeff Koym, senior research associate with AgriLife Research in Lubbock, said this growing season has had mild temperatures and more rain than average.

But potatoes grown in Springlake are typically prone to abiotic stresses such as heat and drought that can reduce yield and quality, Vales said.

Most Texas-released varieties and advanced selections are tolerant to heat stress because they have been selected under high-temperature growing conditions.

“Recently, we have conducted studies that validate this fact,” Vales said. “Industry members nationwide and internationally are encouraged to evaluate our clones to determine if they perform well under their conditions, especially in the context of a warming climate.”

For more information, contact Vales at isabel.vales@tamu.edu, Douglas Scheuring at 979-324-2564, Koym at 806-777-2412, Jeewan Pandey at 870-592-0707 or Bruce Barrett at 806-893-2040.

To learn more about Texas A&M’s potato breeding program, visit https://potato.tamu.edu/.