Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Brief summary of minutes of annual meeting: Walter De Jong reported that the red-skinned clone tested for the past few years in NE1031 as NY129 has now been named and released as Red Maria. Richard Veilleux reported that the doubled monoploid DM13516-R44, developed many years ago at Virginia Tech, is now the template for the international potato genome sequencing project. Jiwan Palta summarized his efforts to breed for increased calcium levels in potato tubers. Mark Clough walked the group through several improvements to the online variety trial database, including a two-variety comparison tool (potatoes.NCSU.edu/nemultisrch.php). Sudeep Matthew, a new extension agent in Dorchester County, Maryland, introduced himself. Dorchester is the #1 potato county in MD, about 2000 acres, 75% chipping. Extensive discussion about agronomic performance of potato clones evaluated across the Northeast ensued, with the feedback guiding breeder decisions about which clones to keep evaluating, and which clones to drop. Accomplishments: This project seeks, through activities coordinated across many Northeastern States, to develop potato varieties with improved agronomic, disease-resistance, and nutritional characteristics. It is anticipated that improved potato cultivars will help maintain the viability of rural economies, reduce dependence on pesticides, and contribute substantially toward maintaining a secure, safe and nutritious food supply. Project milestones for 2009, and progress related to each of these, follow: 1. Molecular genetic map of potato internal heat necrosis mapping population developed. A genetic map consisting of 674 molecular markers has been constructed in NC for a cross between the tetraploid clones Atlantic and B1829-5. This will provide the framework for determining map locations of genes that influence susceptibility to internal heat necrosis. 2. Crosses and backcrosses made between tetraploid TBR and diploid PHU-STN lines with solid or patterned red or purple skin to increase color variation in regionally adapted clones and selections made (on-going activity) For the past few years many crosses have been made in NY and MD between unadapted diploids with novel color patterns and well-adapted tetraploids with ordinary red or purple tuber skin. Over the next few years the best performing progeny with novel color patterns will be selected, and depending on how adapted they are, these will either distributed for regional evaluation or used for further crossing with well-adapted tetraploids Short-term Outcomes: As of 2009, potato varieties that are produced by this project continue to be evaluated and adopted by the potato industry. Sixteen of the varieties (18%) listed in the Maine certified potato directory were released by the Eastern U.S. potato breeding programs over the past 10-15 years (e.g. Andover, Eva, Harley Blackwell, Keuka Gold, Marcy, Monticello, Pike, and Reba). The total of recent releases, eastern varieties released over a longer time period, and varieties introduced to the region via our trial network is 40 varieties (currently 45% of the total and 40% of total seed acreage). This excellent rate of adoption will certainly grow over time as the industry builds seed supplies, becomes more familiar with the new varieties, and as new experimental varieties are released and move into commercial production. There is particularly strong grower interest in improved new chipping varieties to meet quality requirements of eastern processing plants. Harley Blackwell adoption is occurring in NC and other eastern states where internal defects reduce the quality of the current standard chipping variety, Atlantic. The percent of NC acreage planted to Harley Blackwell has increased steadily from 4% in 2006 to 12.5% in 2009. Marcy, a chipping variety released in 2006, has 20% higher yields than older varieties and was produced on more than 3000 acres of chipping potatoes in 2009.

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