US: New Northwest spuds offer strong disease resistance

Officials representing the Idaho, Oregon and Washington potato breeding programs say they’re releasing a pair of new russet varieties that should help position the industry to cope with more stringent regulations on soil fumigants. The new Tri-State Potato Breeding Program varieties — Castle Russet and high-yielding Echo Russet — are billed as medium- to late-maturing potatoes appropriate for use in both the fresh market and processing. Testing has shown they also have good culinary qualities and cold sweetening resistance, so they fry with a light color even after months in storage. The Potato Variety Management Institute decided to release them in December, said PVMI Executive Director Jeanne Debons. She said a limited number of mini-tubers — those grown from tissue cultures — are available to interested seed growers. Debons said Echo and Castle are resistant to potato mop-top virus, vectored by the hard-to-control powdery scab fungus. As regulators place increasing restrictions on fumigants, mop-top is becoming more prevalent. Capital Press report