Canada: Red-skinned potato varieties lead selections by breeders

Red-skinned potatoes are sure to be on the minds and menus of many after remarkable results shown by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s selections this year. Red-skinned varieties made up half of the total selections AAFC breeders released to industry during the annual Potato Selection Release Open House on Wednesday. For the first time, the program will unveil a multi-purpose red-skinned selection, showing promise for processing as wedges and as a traditional table potato. In all, 15 selections were displayed this year by the AAFC breeding program for industry representatives. The selections were narrowed down from more than 100,000 hybrid seedlings grown, tested and measured over six years in AAFC greenhouses, laboratories and fields across Canada. For close to two decades, the province has participated in variety variation with the federal government by hosting regional trial sites. More