Trials - Potato Growers Association

2004 Variety Strip Trials

The 2004 strips went in at three member farms between April 7 and May 10. The last ones were dug at Rigby on Oct. 6. Tom Haugen, who chairs the Research and Variety Trials Committee, says to keep in mind these are strips in growers' fields and not university trials, and 30 or 40 cwt either way probably doesn't mean anything.

Site	Cooperator	Planted	Rows	Vines killed	Dug
Othello, WA	Tom Haugen	April 7	34 in.	Sept. 4	Sept. 20-21
Aberdeen, ID	Rich Sorensen	April 27	36 in.	Sept. 9	Sept. 28-29
Rigby, ID	Kent Jeppesen	May 10	36 in.	frost Sept. 12	Oct. 5-6

Strips	Reps	Fertilizer and water	Yield	Grade
4 rows x approx. 800 ft	2	grower's normal program	whole strip, weigh wagon	approx. 50 lb per strip, by hand

Othello, WA - Haugen farm

There was no frost at Othello and the strips had about 150 days before Tom killed vines. Yields there are the best of the three sites. Alturas went over 700 cwt but too many of them are over 10 oz for the fresh pack.

Variety	Total cwt/a	US No. 1 %	Over 10 oz %	Spec. grav.	Notes
Burbank (check)	618	67	22	1.085	Some knobs
Ranger	662	73	29	1.088	Hollow heart, 14 of 40 cut
Umatilla	641	76	26	1.086
Norkotah	574	80	21	1.073	Vines died first
Alturas	716	69	42	1.093	Too big for fresh
Western	593	71	18	1.080
Bannock	668	77	31	1.087
GemStar	629	82	24	1.083	Nice type
Shepody	684	64	36	1.081	Growth cracks

Othello was graded Sept. 21 and 22 in Tom's shop by Lupe Garza, Brandon Haugen and Carl Fenske of Moses Lake. Lupe cut 40 of the big Rangers and found hollow heart in 14 of them.

Aberdeen, ID - Sorensen farm

Rich was short of water for about 10 days in late August and the Burbanks have some second growth from it. Aberdeen yields are about in the middle.

Variety	Total cwt/a	US No. 1 %	Over 10 oz %	Spec. grav.	Notes
Burbank (check)	472	63	15	1.084	Second growth
Ranger	514	70	21	1.087
Umatilla	498	72	18	1.085
Norkotah	433	77	14	1.072	Lowest gravity
Alturas	558	67	34	1.094	Oversize
Western	455	69	12	1.079	Some scab
Bannock	522	73	22	1.086
GemStar	491	79	17	1.082	Nice type

Aberdeen was graded in Rich's cellar by Jared Sorensen, Wes and Arlene Thueson and Dennis Moe, who came over from Burley both days. Wes cut 40 of the big Rangers and none of them had hollow heart.

Rigby, ID - Jeppesen farm

The frost on Sept. 12 took the tops on every strip at once, about 3 weeks before Kent planned to kill vines. Yields at Rigby are way off and there are not many big ones. Yukon Gold is early and the frost hurt it the least.

Variety	Total cwt/a	US No. 1 %	Over 10 oz %	Spec. grav.	Notes
Burbank (check)	371	58	6	1.082	Lots of 4-6 oz
Ranger	402	65	9	1.085
Umatilla	393	68	8	1.083
Norkotah	352	72	7	1.072	Lowest gravity
Alturas	466	62	17	1.092	Still the biggest
Western	336	63	4	1.078
Bannock	414	69	10	1.084
GemStar	388	75	8	1.081	Nice type
Yukon Gold	361	79	6	1.080	Early

Kent's foreman Dave Hillman graded at Rigby with LaVon Jeppesen, Ross Kidd of Menan and two Rigby High students, Tyler Ball and Megan Lords.

Thanks

Thanks to Tom and Karen Haugen, Rich Sorensen and Kent Jeppesen for the ground and for farming the strips along with the rest of their fields, and to Brandon Haugen, Jared Sorensen and Dave Hillman, who ran the diggers, and to the 12 people who graded. Seed was donated by Shirley Bidegaray at Ashton, Ted Lindquist at Manhattan, Mont. and Lynn Hathaway at Driggs. Mark Ochoa hauled the weigh wagon from Othello to Aberdeen to Rigby and weighed all 52 strips.