03/03/06 Potato winter grow out, part two

A group of Idaho potato seed growers put 30 seedlots into a Hagerman greenhouse and by February 3rd they knew if their crop was 'clean.' The University of Idaho's Phil Nolte says the geothermal heat stimulated plant growth making the plants ready for testing earlier than their competitors. NOLTE "That gives him an advantage because someone else hasn't gotten to a potential customers first. If in fact its something that the grower is wanting to increase on his own farm and it doesn't make muster then he can replace it." Rather than taking seedlots to California or Hawaii Nolte says some of the testing could be done in the geothermal greenhouses near Hagerman which are normally idle December through February. But there are at least two problems. Planting and growing costs doubled in the greenhouse and they only tested 30 seedlots, each with 400 golf ball sized 'single drop' tubers. NOLTE "But the actual winter program is in excess of 800 seedlots, the entire amount of stuff that needs to be tested." Shoshone seed grower Mike Telford was one of the seven producers who took part in the greenhouse experiment which he says could consistently yield results one to two months ahead of California field testing. As Telford sees it, 'it`s all about timing and being able to get your crop sold.' Nolte says they'll try to test 100 seed lots in the greenhouse next winter. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott