For more than 50 years, University of Florida/IFAS (UF/IFAS) research and Extension teams have cultivated potatoes at the UF/IFAS Hastings Agricultural Extension Center (UF/IFAS HAEC) in what is known as variety trials.

Scientists use these studies to determine which potatoes will be the most fruitful for Florida producers. For the first time, scientists are applying this information to create new potato types that can resist Florida’s harsh growing conditions.

“With variety trials, we can understand how existing varieties perform here in Florida. Adding a breeding program allows us to take this to the next level to create varieties for Florida,” Christian Christensen, director of UF/IFAS HAEC, said, cited by a recent UF press release.

Potatoes are often planted in the summer and harvested in the fall in other states. In Florida, however, potatoes are planted towards the end of winter and harvested in the early summer months, filling a market gap. This gives Florida farmers unique market potential, but also several growth obstacles due to Florida’s heat, humidity, and other factors. Potato types that can tolerate tough growing circumstances will be developed by UF/IFAS researchers working in the potato breeding program.

“Florida’s environment is unique compared to other potato-growing environments around the U.S. A breeder in Maine is making decisions for a variety that is as good as it can be around the country but is primarily suited for Maine. We lose opportunities by not having a breeding program here,” Lincoln Zotarelli, UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences and a researcher on the potato-breeding team, mentioned.

The UF/IFAS initiative is supported by potato producers in the Tri-County Agricultural Area, three counties in northeastern Florida that include St. Johns, Putnam, and Flagler, and grows more than 8,000 hectares of potatoes for potato chips and fresh market use.

“We are excited, and growers are excited because it’s an opportunity to provide better varieties for Florida,” Zotarelli added.

Researchers are actively selecting cultivars that require fewer inputs and yield more for growers, in addition to breeding for hardiness to endure Florida’s environment.

“We are screening for a variety that is efficient with nutrient use, has a high yield, disease resistance, and more. In addition to breeding, we are also investigating management aspects of the crop. This includes growing and harvesting practices for different varieties based on spacing, planting and harvest timing, and more,” Zotarelli explained.

At the UF/IFAS HAEC, researchers assessed more than 2,000 potato cultivars annually. Researchers anticipate evaluating an extra 7,500 to 15,000 possible new kinds annually using the breeding effort.

“We took last year to put all of the proper steps in place for the breeding program and this year we are scaling up. It is a cyclical process that we will keep repeating year after year. It’s a slow process but it is well underway,” Marcio Resende, UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticultural sciences and potato breeder, mentioned.

Researchers anticipate that the first Florida-bred variety will be accessible in around seven to ten years after the start of the breeding effort in 2021.

“It may take 10 years before we have something fully impactful that reaches growers’ fields. We are now one of 13 public potato-breeding programs around the country, but this is the first in Florida,” Zotarelli concluded.

Researchers anticipate that new Florida-focused potato varieties will aid in the expansion of potato production to parts of the state that do not currently produce the crop.