INSIDERSSeed potatoesMaking the Right Variety Choices with Data and Expertise

Making the Right Variety Choices with Data and Expertise

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This is a busy time of year. The holidays are behind us and you’re deep in the process of planning for the upcoming season. As farmers, we only get one crack at this every year, and there is a lot of data to consider. You need to consider finances, chemistry options and variety selection. My expertise is in potato varieties, so I thought I’d walk you through some key considerations.

Each year, you need to decide if you’re going to stay with the clones you planted in the past or look for something new. Start with your baseline data. What has been successful on your farm? What has been successful in your packing house? What have your customers wanted to buy?

If you’re satisfied with these clones, this is a chance to look for opportunities increase yields. Or maybe you have maximized their potential. And it’s time to look for the next best thing that will let you take a leap ahead.

When you do bring in a new variety, you need to look at whether it outperforms what you’ve used before — not just in the field, but in packing, processing and storage as well. Once you find a new variety that fits, it’s time to repeat the process of pushing it for maximum returns.

When working through this, you might have expertise in-house, or you might bring in outside consultants. Either way, remember that you have resources at hand in your seed farmer and the breeder.

The seed farmer has looked at this clone for three to four years before you see it, and the breeders even longer. That’s a lot of data and a lot of knowledge to increase your chances of maximizing performance of the clone, so it’s worth reaching out.

That knowledge is also driving continuous improvement. As your varieties reach peak performance, breeders are already working on improvements, thinking years ahead in their developments.

An example with HZPC is Colomba, the top yellow variety in North America. It excels in yield and pack-out but has dormancy challenges. That’s why HZPC developed Camelia for improved long-term storage. And now we’re working on even better options with PVY resistance and greater disease tolerance. We are always moving that needle forward.

As you plan for 2025, don’t forget to talk to your seed growers and breeders. Not only do they have insights on the varieties in your fields, but your feedback can help the breeders identify the traits you want and need in the years ahead.

Aron Derbidge
Aron Derbidgehttps://www.hzpc.com
President, HZPC Americas - Derbidge has spent the last 20 plus years in and around the potato business. He has served growers, packers, shippers, and marketers of potatoes through packaging, logistics, variety development and seed production. He has been in potato breeding, variety development and seed production for the last 10 plus years. Derbidge is based in Idaho Falls, Idaho but his territory is North America, so he’s able to visit most potato producing areas across both Canada and United States. He’s currently serving as the potato chair for the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Potato Section. Derbidge is the proud father of two teenage girls and husband to his wife of 23 years. In his spare time, he enjoys precision sports, golf and fishing.