Duncan Russet offers heat tolerance and virus resistance for southern potato growers
The latest potato variety released in August by the Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program, the Duncan Russet potato, delivers disease resistance that will directly benefit growers in the southern U.S., including Texas.
The Texas A&M Potato Breeding Program has developed a new potato variety called Duncan Russet, which offers heat tolerance and resistance to a costly disease called potato virus Y (PVY). This disease can cause yield losses of up to 80% in affected fields. Duncan Russet has the potential to significantly benefit southern U.S. potato growers, particularly those in Texas, by improving their yields and reducing input costs.
The potato breeding program at Texas A&M AgriLife, led by Isabel Vales, has a long history of collaboration with national and regional public potato programs. Since 1998, the program has released 14 commercially successful varieties, generating over $11 million in licensing revenue. The program is currently working on developing six new varieties for commercial release in the near future.
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