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72 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2020 Successful Nutrient Application Begins with reflex ® reflex ® Intelligent injection control for Variable Rate Fertigation ® 800-446-5328 | www.agri-inject.com Immediately Save Money The reflex ® System enables you to significantly reduce your annual fertilizer usage and reduce the amount of water required throughout the season while producing a high yielding crop. Increase Yield It is proven that spoon-feeding fertilizer as needed will dramatically improve yield. Recent studies have shown that applying 30 lbs. of nitrogen at the VT stage can increase the yield by over 50 bu/acre. Learn more about how the reflex ® Variable Rate Fertigation ® can be a great investment to overcome lower commodity prices. Give us a call at 800-446-5328 or visit us online at agri-inject.com/reflexvrf AI-113A.indd 1 11/29/17 2:15 PM 170351AgrInj12v.indd 1 11/29/17 4:35 PM growing population put additional strains on potato growers, we will continue to explore the possibilities offered by this rich genetic resource Shelley Jansky is a crop breeder and research geneticist with the USDA's Agricultural Research service, as well as a professor in the University of Wisconsin- Madison's Department of Horticulture. This article originally appeared as a post on the Crop Science Society of America's Sustainable, Secure Food blog. southern Bolivia through northwest Argentina, is also important for breeding. This species was named after the French agronomist Pierre Berthault. The most characteristic feature of S. berthaultii is the production of sticky hairs on its leaves. For this reason, it has been used in breeding as a source of insect resistance. Prince Hairy and King Harry are two specialty potato varieties with insect resistance genes from S. berthaultii. While wild potatoes typically produce small (dime-sized) tubers, hybrids between cultivated potatoes and S. berthaultii often produce large, beautiful tubers. Our most Verticillium wilt-resistant breeding line, C287, features S. berthaultii as a grandparent on both sides of its pedigree. When I was a graduate student (a few decades ago!), I created and selected two clones that I named S438 and S440. These selections have S. berthaultii as a grandparent and have been used extensively as a source of improved processing quality in the development of new varieties. Wild potatoes also contribute genes for traits related to cooking ability. S. chacoense is a great-grandparent of the cultivar Lenape, which is credited for laying the foundation for the development of cultivars used in making potato chips. One type of South American cultivated potato is colloquially known as Phureja. These common landraces are incredibly diverse for tuber traits such as skin color, flesh color, shape, size and eye depth. Some Phureja selections produce tubers with very deep yellow flesh. Yukon Gold potatoes have Phureja as a grandparent. Phureja varieties have been selected by South American farmers not only for unique tuber traits, but also for exceptional culinary quality. Our best sources of genes for improved flavor have been found in Phureja, which produces tubers that are more flavorful, creamy and savory than standard potato varieties. Those of us who are impatient cooks might also be interested to learn that some Phureja varieties are done in half the normal time needed to boil more traditional potatoes. There are over 100 wild potato species, and breeders have just scratched the surface for new variety development. As climate change and a Improving your soil will improve your life • Gypsum Fresh mined (Certified Organic) • Poultry Compost (Certified Organic) • Dairy ComposT (Certified Organic) • Gypsum (Recycled dry wall) Larson Building 6 South 2nd Street, Suite 807 Yakima, WA 98901 Contact: Gary Dixon (509) 439-5679 4072-13LarsonBuilding112.indd 1 11/4/19 12:03 PM