b'Wisconsin Norlands at Peak of the Markets irrigated field site near Winkler, Man. in August, 2021.PHOTO: ASHLEY ROBINSONThe AAFC varieties grown are from the programs year five trials or later. In years one through four, varieties are grown across the country to duplicate clones and test their adaptability to different climatic regions. The CPC says promising selections are then offered for further field evaluation in the local regional trials.The Potato TrialsThe variety program cycle begins in the off-season when those running the local programs start networking with breeders and companies to see what new varieties are available for plot testing. They also check in with growers to see if there are any varieties theyre interested in seeing data on or any disease or pest properties they would like to see varieties with resistance to. Once they have the list of what varieties theyre testing for the growing season and collect seed for them, the potatoes are then planted in the spring. They are planted next to industry standard varieties such as Yukon Gold or other regional varieties for comparison purposes. Throughout the growing season the plots are monitored and if irrigation is available, they are watered.Towards the end of the summer, most sites will host a field day where growers are invited to come to the test plots and see the varieties on display. These field days havent always been able to happen in recent years due to the pandemic.The plots are then harvested and thats when the real fun begins. Data is recorded on the potatoes such as yield, size profiles, gravity, how they hold up in storage, and if they have any visual defects. The data is then shared in reports with growers.Then we start to discuss and learn, like what people like in 36SPUDSMART.COM Fall 2021'