Texas Potato Field Day slated for July 16 in Springlake

Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program, Barrett Potato Farms and Springlake Potatoes Inc. will host the annual Texas Potato Field Day on July 16 in Springlake.

Participants will meet at 10 a.m. at Springlake Potato Sales, 1452 U.S. Highway 385, before traveling to the field. The event is free, and no preregistration is required. 

The field day enables researchers and industry leaders to view and learn about the latest potato varieties developed by the Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program and several other national partners.

On the agenda

Isabel Vales, Ph.D., AgriLife Research potato breeder and associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station, will give an update on the breeding program and discuss advanced clones.

Douglas Scheuring, senior research associate at Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station:

"One of the clones, Dune Russet, is a processing russet. This clone is unique in that it gives us very high solids in the Texas heat."

Scheuring added that the clone is currently under evaluation by frozen french fry producers. Vales will also discuss the Duncan Russet, a fresh-market russet with potato virus Y, or PVY, resistance. PVY is an aphid-transmitted virus that greatly affects yield. Bruce Barrett, from Barrett Potato Farms, and other growers will provide an overview of their growing season thus far.