Optimising potatoes for a better chip

Potato chips are a well-loved snack around the world; however, no nation consumes more than the US. According to Potatoes USA, consumers spent over US$7 billion on chips in 2022 and the average American consumed more than 1.8 kg of chips per year. About 22% of the US potato crop — nearly 3.4 billion kg annually — is made into chips.

USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is now working to ensure the US has the perfect potato for frying into chips. Its breeding program has already produced different varieties, including Atlantic — a variety released in 1976 that remains the second most popular chipping variety in the United States. However, potato producers have been looking for an Atlantic replacement for years as it is vulnerable to internal heat necrosis, where darker spots or flecks form in the flesh of the potato, particularly in sandy soils during warm, dry seasons. It is also vulnerable to hollow heart, a condition where a hollow depression forms in the centre of the potato when there are uneven moisture levels while the potato grows.

Research geneticist Richard Novy, from the Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit, says new varieties need to be bred to stay ahead of ever-evolving diseases and pests.

ARS scientists in the potato breeding program make thousands of chipping potato crosses every year, with the aim of improving disease and pest resistance, as well as optimising chip colour, sugar levels, storage ability and agronomic traits such as yield, harvest time and tuber size.

Novy has a new variety in the pipeline, currently known as A13125-3C, which is showing potential in Idaho and in the National Chip Processing Trial (NCPT). ARS works with universities and industry in the NCPT, which is organised through Potatoes USA, to test potatoes simultaneously at sites throughout the country.

The name of A13125-3C will not be changed until after it completes several years of trials and undergoes a tissue culture process to remove any viruses and bacteria to allow the production of seed for producers.

“By sharing access to germplasm and testing nationally, you can more quickly identify candidates having variety potential for the chipping industry,” Novy said. “Such a program helps regional chip companies to identify promising new potato varieties for their production of chips.”

Across the country from the lab in Idaho, ARS plant research geneticist Paul Collins is concentrating on breeding chipping potatoes with better disease resistance for eastern potato growers. One major focus is potatoes that can better withstand late blight, a fungal disease that causes an annual loss of US$210 million.

“Most diseases we are working on can affect the farmer’s ability to produce a potato crop and they can have a staggering economic impact,” Collins said. “Potato virus Y, for example, causes annual losses of [US]$103 million in yield and tuber quality.”

While ARS scientists are breeding potatoes to fight diseases, this is not expected to affect the supply of potato chips in stores.

“Our goal is to breed potato varieties which are resistant to these diseases, and with other agronomic traits that are important to farmers while also having quality traits like colour, shape and size that are important to consumers and processors,” Collins said.

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