80 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2017
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BIOTECHNOLOGY | Industry Report
New Innate varieties deregulated by USDA
Biological Victory
In October, the USDA deregulated the Ranger Russet and
Atlantic varieties of the second generation of Innate biotech
potatoes, developed by the Simplot Co. These varieties join the
Innate second-generation Russet Burbank potato, which was
deregulated in 2015.
The second generation of Innate potatoes contains four beneficial
traits of relevance to potato growers, processors and consumers:
1. Reduced bruising and black spots
2. Reduced asparagines
3. Protection against the late blight pathogen
4. Enhanced cold storage capability.
These traits were achieved by adding only genes from wild and
cultivated potatoes.
Research shows that Innate second-generation potatoes will
further contribute to reducing waste associated with bruise,
blight and storage losses by reducing waste at multiple stages of
the value chain, including in the field, during storage, processing,
and in foodservice. That research suggests that these traits will
translate to less land, water and pesticide applications to produce
Innate potatoes.
Several academics consulted by Simplot, for instance, estimate
that the Innate late blight protection trait can result in a 50
percent reduction in fungicide applications annually to control
late blight. Lower asparagine means that accumulation levels
of acrylamide can be reduced by up to 90 percent when the
