As many as 300 producers and other observers descended upon WSU’s research farm in Othello for the country’s largest annual potato field day.
Raj Khosla, dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, gave a welcome before potato growers were turned loose on the fields at the 427-acre site. More than 100 individual potato varieties are planted there, and roughly 60 percent of them are experimental. Growers roamed the fields, getting close to see how individual varieties are developing, nibbling on French fries cooked on site by the Washington State Potato Commission.
During concurrent sessions that followed, participants heard about a new application WSU has developed and is perfecting that allows producers to measure potatoes’ shape using their phones. The length-to-width ratio is important for producing French fries and potato chips. The Tuber Ruler helps automate what was previously a manual chore.
Growers also heard about research efforts to simulate hot weather events over multiple durations to test the effects of heat stress on potatoes and inform mitigation strategies. WSU researchers presented on new challenges to breeding operations, provided updates on viruses circulating in the Columbia Basin, and delivered the latest on weed control research, pest monitoring and strategies to manage other diseases.
WSU research has helped Washington become the country’s second-largest potato producer, generating more than 20 percent of the nation’s supply. Further, the state potato crop generates the highest yield per acre in the world.
