Promising Potatoes

The UW-Madison, American Ag-Tec International, Ltd., and the Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China are working together to create an easier, faster, and cheaper way to produce potatoes that could revolutionize the potato industry.

In 1993, Ag-Tec brought researchers from Tianjin Academy to the university to demonstrate a new technique they had developed for rapidly producing virus-free minitubers. With this technique, a minituber crop can be produced in as few as 40 days.

"We were skeptical because no one else had produced minitubers so quickly," said Thomas German, chair of the Plant Pathology Department and director of the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program.

The certification process currently takes nearly seven years, from when UW-Madison's Plant Pathology Department generates pathogen-free test tube plantlets, to when high-quality seed lots are sold to growers who produce the potatoes we buy in the grocery store.

The rapid production technology from China worked, but it was very labor intensive. Ag-Tec, which purchased the patent for the technique, needed to develop a less labor-intensive process. Ag-Tec turned to the UW-Madison's Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics, which had developed controlled environment systems for growing plants in space. The Center successfully adapted this technology to the Ag-Tec project, making the rapid-growth technique commercially viable.

"Now is the opportune time to enter the world market with high-quality seed potatoes," said German. The Dutch currently dominate the seed potato market. Unlike the U.S., most countries don't produce their own seed potatoes. "Many countries want to end their dependency on the Dutch," said German.

"The new technology will allow Ag-Tec to provide low-cost, disease-free, first-generation seed potatoes," said Perry Brown, director of business development for Ag-Tec. "This could save millions of dollars for countries that import seed potatoes."

Ag-Tec will market both seed potatoes and the new technology. Those who purchase the technology will have to adhere to Ag-Tec's rules to ensure uniform, high-quality seed potatoes, said Brown.

In addition to playing a vital role in educating Ag-Tec about the potato production process and developing the technology, the university will also play an important role in marketing Ag-Tec's products. Because of the university's involvement in the Seed Certification Program, its expertise is recognized worldwide. "Every step will adhere to UW standards and principles," said Brown.

In return for its assistance, the university will have access to the new technology for its own use. For example, researchers who develop transgenic potatoes could use the new production technique to quickly grow successive generations, testing the new potato's viability and safety. "Conventional breeding typically takes ten to twenty years," said Brown. "With this technology, the transgenic potato could be growing in producer's fields within two years."

Using this technology in the Seed Certification Program will improve the market position of Wisconsin farmers by decreasing production time, providing more rapid access to new germplasm, and creating additional planting options. "The relationship between the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification program, American Ag-Tec, and the Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences is producing important benefits for everyone concerned," said German.