Maine potato breeding program works to increase potato climate resilience
All reds, dark red Norlands, and purple skinned yellow flesh potatoes are shown in this 2005 file photo. Credit: Denise Farwell / BDN
For decades, the University of Maine has devoted valuable agricultural research to studying how to improve potato crops, a central element of the state’s agricultural economy. Over the past year, the focus of the program’s mission has ramped up with one particular goal in mind: make potatoes that are resistant to climate change.
While warmer temperatures may extend the potato growing season in Maine, they can also cause problems with the crop’s qualities and diseases, said Gregory Porter, a professor of crop ecology and management at UMaine. Porter is the lead investigator for the school’s potato breeding program, which works on projects from improving marketing opportunities for growers to developing potatoes that are more resistant to diseases like potato virus Y.
Developing a potato that is resistant to the changing climate is more important now than ever. Maine is coming off of a banner year for potato crops thanks in large part to the success of the Caribou russet, a potato developed through UMaine’s breeding program. Porter fears that even the beloved variety isn’t as heat tolerant as necessary to resist the ongoing effects of climate change.
“The predictions for climate change are heavier rainfall events, and potatoes don’t tolerate flooding or wet conditions for long without having other quality problems,” Porter said. “If we want potatoes to be continued to be produced successfully in Maine, we need to be able to produce varieties that can be resistant to change.” Read more.