Foreign countries are showing increasing interest in potato varieties developed in the Pacific Northwest and managed by the Potato Variety Management Institute (PVMI).

Agricultural Research Service scientists have bred and released colorful new potato varieties. Some have relatively high levels of beneficial red-to-purple pigments called “anthocyanins,” and others have high levels of yellow-pigmented carotenoids

Scientists with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service potato genetics program in Aberdeen, Idaho, were granted special permission to return to work during the US government shutdown, potentially preventing the loss of unique breeding material.

To potato breeders in the Pacific Northwest, the annual Tri-State Tour is akin to Christmas morning, explained Brian Charlton, with Oregon State University's Klamath Basin Research & Extension Center.