Porter quoted in Press Herald ‘Maine Gardener’ column about new potato varieties
Greg Porter, a professor of agronomy at the University of Maine, was quoted in the latest column in the Portland Press Herald “Maine Gardener” series, titled “UMaine research leads to the introduction of two new potato varieties.” The author wrote he was surprised last winter when he saw Caribou Russet and Pinto Gold, two new potato varieties developed at UMaine, offered in several garden catalogs. Porter, who has been in charge of the university’s potato breeding and variety development program since 2007, said the two new varieties are aimed at different segments of the potato market. He said Caribou Russet is a main-crop potato, good for baking, boiling and french fry production, while Pinto Gold is a gourmet/specialty potato intended to reach a niche market. The potatoes appeared in catalogs available to home gardeners because of the relationship the breeding program has developed with small farms that grow seed potatoes and with Winslow-based company Johnny’s Selected Seeds, according to Porter. “We’ve been able to introduce these to both organic growers and standard growers,” he said. “It has been kind of a nice small-scale success story.”