Porter, Student Speak with MPBN About New Potato Variety
Gregory Porter, chairman of the Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences; and Matt Schultheis, a student in Porter’s lab, spoke with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for a report about a new potato variety created by UMaine and the Maine Potato Board. Porter described the Caribou Russett as having high quality for fresh consumption, such as a baked or mashed potato, as well as for making healthier french fries. It also produces high yields and has a good internal quality, he told MPBN. Schultheis spoke about how a potato is created in the lab by collecting and transferring pollen. “I’m collecting pollen from individual clusters and then taking pollen from other plants and applying them to the stigma of individual other clusters that we have made for crossing by taking the anthers off and applying the pollen directly to the stigma,” he said.