Hooray for Snow! The wheellines are tied down, the mint still has been winterized, and snow covers the potato fields at the Intermountain Research and Extension Center.
The winter weather doesn't stop the work here, though.
Post-Harvest Potato Evaluations
Multiple research studies at IREC are investigating potato appearance and quality during storage. With Red and Yellow potatoes, washing and polishing is necessary to accurately evaluate new potato varieties appearance in the grocery store. This information assists potato farmers in selecting varieties that match consumer preferences.
IREC staff research associates Skyler Peterson and Kevin Nicholson are busy evaluating potatoes on more than 10 different characteristics including color, shape, and size. Potatoes even get inspected under the microscope to evaluate characteristics not visible by the naked eye. Consistency and accuracy are the focus of our staff.
All of this data is compiled and analyzed, and then published for use by farmers, industry personnel and other researchers. You, too, can learn more about potatoes by reading the Potato Reports on the IREC website.
