Research partnerships and certification programs support reliable potato crops
Did you enjoy mashed, roasted, or scalloped potatoes over thanksgiving? When shoppers buy farm-fresh potatoes in stores, they may not realize that these products represent years of careful development.
In Wisconsin, potato quality is maintained through strong partnerships between growers and the University of Wisconsin. Their shared focus on research and innovation helps ensure that potatoes remain healthy, consistent, and dependable for consumers.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison potato breeding program plays a key role in developing new potato varieties suited to Wisconsin’s soil, climate, and growing conditions. Although thousands of potato varieties exist worldwide, most potatoes grown in the United States fall into a few main types, including Russet, yellow, red, white, blue and purple, and fingerling. Multiple varieties from these categories are grown across Wisconsin.
Researchers use cross-pollination to combine desirable traits and identify new varieties that can succeed under local pressures. Developing a single commercially viable variety can take more than ten years. Increasing environmental sustainability is a major goal, and breeders are working on potatoes that require fewer crop protectants and lower nitrogen levels.