Potato Field Day July 7

From Don Halseth.

Cornell Potato Field Day

Thursday, July 7, 2011
9 a.m to 4 p.m.
Thompson Vegetable Research Farm, Freeville, NY
Sponsored by the Empire State Potato Growers, Inc.

This potato field day is held every other summer to give individuals associated with the New York State potato industry an opportunity to hear about and see firsthand numerous potato research programs being conducted by Cornell University faculty. We will have registration, coffee & fruit juices at 9 a.m. at the Thompson Lab of the Cornell Vegetable Crops Research Farm. (View Google map.)

At 9:30 a.m. we will take a field tour (we will carpool, to save money we will not rent a bus) of plant breeding plots to see how new varieties are developed – the 12-15 year process from tiny seeds to a new variety. Learn how breeders decide what’s worth keeping, and what isn’t – feel free to let Walter De Jong (Cornell’s potato breeder) know what you would like to have improved!

After lunch we will have presentations on various pests, diseases and problems facing the New York State potato industry, plus observe several yield trials with material from eight U.S. and one European potato breeding programs.

Bill Fry will discuss his work on a real-time potato late blight decision support system which can be run on a laptop computer with an internet connection. This computer program incorporates the effects of future weather and future fungicide applications into late blight management. New for this year are “alerts”. One is to warn users of weather in their location that is favorable to late blight. A second is to warn users that late blight has been found sufficiently near them that it could pose a threat.

Keith Perry has a project to identify existing potato varieties (specialty, heirloom, land races) that have fresh market potential for small-scale growers. Many of these have unusual shape, appearance or skin and flesh colors, which have come from the USDA germplasm repository.

Tom Zitter will discuss important take home points on common scab. It is both seedborne and soilborne and can survive indefinitely in “favorable” soils. The scab pathogen is very sensitive to soil moisture, temperature, and alkalinity. The disease can occur on all potato varieties, since no varieties are immune.

Helen Griffiths has conducted field trials in 2009 and 2010 to identify chip and tablestock varieties with resistance to pink rot (Phytophthora erythroseptica). In 2011 the field plot inoculated with the causal organism of pink rot will be planted to Caliente mustards to study its potential as a bio-fumigant for controlling the pink rot, common scab and powdery scab.

Stewart Gray will provide an update on PVY, focusing primarily on the tuber necrotic strain that is becoming more prevalent in NY seed and perhaps on commercial farms.

Don Halseth will guide a visit of replicated yield trials and new observational plots with 50+ varieties and 600+ breeding lines from 8 US and one European potato breeding programs. White, yellow, red, blue, purple and russet lines for tablestock and round whites for chipping will be observed.

This event is free and is sponsored by the Empire State Potato Growers, Inc. We would appreciate individuals letting Don Halseth know if they can make it by leaving a message at 607-255-5460 or an e-mail at deh3@cornell.edu as that helps plan for lunch and refreshments. If a grower’s plans change at the last minute and they can make it unannounced, they are very welcome to come.

Directions to the Thompson Vegetable Crops Research Farm

View Google map.

Freeville, NY – which lies 10 miles east of Ithaca, NY: From the west, take Rt 13 east out of Ithaca towards Dryden. One mile past the large NYSEG building (on your right) take Rt 366 to the left through the hamlet of Etna and into Freeville. On the east side of Freeville there will be a four-way stop with Rt 38 (left [north] to Groton 6 miles and right [south] to Dryden 3 miles). Continue straight ahead (east) at this intersection on Fall Creek Road for 0.7 miles. The Thompson Lab will be the brown metal building on the left at the first intersection. From the east take Rt 13 out of Cortland to Dryden and then Rt 38 into Freeville. Turn right (east) at the four-way stop in Freeville onto Fall Creek Road and arrive at farm in 0.7 mi. Please call 607-844-8281 if you need additional directions.
(address of the Freeville Farm: 133 Fall Creek Road, Freeville, NY 13068)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *