Potato is a principal and significant horticultural crop across the Northern Plains of North Dakota (ND) and Minnesota (MN). North Dakota ranked third in US acres harvested in 2020 at approximately 77,000 acres (+31,130 ha), and production value for the 2019 crop exceeded $223M (NASS 2020), making it fifth for value among all crops in ND. Approximately 60% of the Northern Plains potato production is for processing, primarily for French fries and other frozen products. Potato breeding research effortsfocused on development and release of improved processing cultivars primarily takes place at irrigated sites in ND and western MN, predominantly at grower hosted field sites. The improvement team conducts breeding, germplasm enhancement, selection, disease screening and agronomic evaluations, in its efforts to identify and develop superior cultivars for producer and industry adoption addressing shortcomings of current cultivars including in areas of sustainability and quality. These collaborations include research and industry personnel at NDSU, UMN, and other North American programs, the North Dakota State Seed Department, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and with certified seed and commercial potato producers.
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